Weakest Point
by xXFantasyVSRealityxX
Summary: This is almost like a sequel to my story "As I lay Dying With a Friend" but not really. It takes place after it, but it's not like if you haven't read that story, you won't understand this one. Takes place right after Damon gets cured from the bite. Klaus kidnaps him to persuade Stefan. But as Damon's still in a weakened state, they have to rescue Damon before it's too late. HIATUS
1. The Disappearing Act

**Hey, everyone. Okay, so for those of you who read my fanfiction "As I Lay Dying Withd a Friend" you'll probably recognize some of the stuff in here. For those of you who haven't, it's okay. You don't really need to know exactly how that went in order to be able to understand this. Everything will be explained. Brief summary of my last fanfiction that this follows: Alaric knew about the bite in the very beginning and basically helped Damon through it all. It wasn't a slash fic and this won't be either. But just so you guys know, my last fanficion pretty much didn't have anything to do with the actual season two finale. I pretty much rewrote the whole episode out of complete boredom and because in my opinion, it didn't have enough Alaric/Damon friendship scenes in it. So, basically that's all you need to know. I'm actually making this sequel though only because I love torturing Damon and making Alaric be there for him. Haha. Disclaimer: TVD is obviously not mine. So please, don't sue me. One last thing, this is pretty much changing up the beginning of season three. You guys probably assumed that by now.**

Alaric's Point of View

"So what's our first move?" Alaric asked. They had been looking over a map that Damon pulled out of a drawer for what seemed like two hours.  
"All we know is that Stefan is with Klaus," Damon said. "We don't know who else is there and we don't know where. All we have is a why."  
Alaric looked at Damon sympathetically. Both he and Elena were well aware that Damon had been feeling guilty since Stefan was with Klaus so he could get a cure for Damon.  
"Well, it can't be too difficult," Elena said. "I mean, how many places could Klaus honestly be?"  
"Do you even know him at all?" Damon asked. "He's an original. Who knows what he's up to?"  
"Why would he want Stefan though?" Elena asked him.  
"If we knew that, we wouldn't have to stand here over a map, trying to figure out what Klaus is up to."  
"Well we gotta start somewhere," Alaric said quietly to himself.  
"I would assume step one would be getting out of the house," Damon answered.  
"Then lets figure out a step two," Elena said.  
"Step two: getting into the car," Damon put in unhelpfully.  
"You're not used to actually coming up with a plan are you?" Alaric asked. "Do you just wing it every time?" Damon ignored him, telling Alaric that he was right, and Damon was just to proud to admit it.  
"Well there has to be something we can do," Elena said. "I don't know what Klaus is doing to Stefan or how long he's been doing it."  
"I'm well aware of that, Elena," Damon said, apparently impatient. "But as I said, Klaus is unpredictable. It's nearly impossible to know what he's doing."  
Alaric looked at Damon. For some reason, he was beginning to feel concerned for the vampire. It was more than likely left over paranoia from last night and earlier today. Last night, Alaric was there when Katherine brought Damon the cure and told them that they shouldn't expect Stefan anytime soon. Damon, after being cured had fallen straight into an exhausted sleep and was out of it until around one in the afternoon the next day. When he finally woke up, he was still weak so Elena came over and waited for him to regain his strength before they went to find Stefan. That was only nine hours ago. Just by looking at him, Alaric could tell he still hadn't gained all his strength.  
"Elena, can I talk to you in private?" Alaric asked her. He knew it sounded suspicious, but Damon was going to have to get over it.  
Elena tilted her head, giving him a puzzled look before agreeing. "Yeah, okay." Alaric took her out of the room and made sure they were out of Damon's earshot.  
"We've got to take a break," Alaric said gently.  
"Ric-"Elena began.  
"I know you want to find Stefan," he said gently. "But Damon's falling asleep on his feet. It'll just take even longer to find him if he doesn't rest."  
Elena nodded. "Okay."  
Alaric put a hand on her shoulder. "Thanks for being patient. I know this is hard for you."  
Elena pulled him into a hug and Alaric put his hand on her head. "Thanks, Ric," she said into his shoulder. They broke apart and Alaric nodded in response.  
"Now for the hard part," Alaric said sighing. "Getting Damon to actually take a break and rest."  
"What was that all about?" Damon asked, once they got back into the living room.  
Alaric went up to him, pretending that he was being secretive. "I could tell Elena was really worried. I was just trying to set her mind at ease."  
"Did it work?" Damon asked quietly.  
Alaric shook his head. After a moment of hesitation, he said gently, "I can see right through you, Damon. You look like you're about to collapse. Besides, we don't even know what our first move is."  
"Easy for you to say," Damon said to him. "You're not the reason he's out there in the first place."  
Alaric looked at him sympathetically. "This isn't your fault Damon."  
"Try telling Stefan that." And with that, Damon left the room.  
Alaric glanced at Elena. "I told him he wouldn't take it well."  
Elena nodded. "We just need to think of what-" she stopped as the sound of glass shattering came from upstairs. Without even glancing at Elena, Alaric sprinted out of the room and stood at the bottom of the stairs. Not knowing what he would see, he rushed back into the living room, grabbed a stake, and then headed back to the stairs. He ran up the steps and was instantly greeted by the sight of shattered glass everywhere. Blood drops were trailing down the hall, and out the window. Alaric ran over to the window and looked out only to be disappointed. Whoever was in the house earlier was long gone.  
"Damon!" Alaric called, becoming worried. He heard footsteps behind him, and out of instinct he turned around quickly, staked raised.  
"RIC!" Elena shouted.  
"Sorry, Elena," he said. "I didn't know who you were."  
Elena looked past Alaric at the mess. "What happened? Where's Damon."  
"To answer both of your questions: I have no idea"

****


	2. Katherine's Bargain

**AN: Thanks so much to Michelle Salvatore. I'm glad you're liking it. :D And then a big thanks to Raphs No. 1 Girl for once again making me smile with a kind review. I'm so glad you're sticking with me and I'm glad you're liking the sequel, because I'm totally writing it because of your last review on my previous story. So this is dedicated to you! Disclaimer: I OWN CRAP!**

Alaric's Point of View

"Ric he's not here!" Alaric could hear Elena's frustrated yell from three rooms away.  
"Yeah, I know," Alaric said sighing.  
"Where is he?" Elena asked, coming into the room where he was. They were both now standing in Damon's room.  
"I have no idea," Alaric admitted. "I know just as much as you do."  
Elena nodded and looked away. "Elena?" Alaric called to her softly. He went over and wrapped her in his arms. "It'll be okay. Damon will be okay."  
"First Stefan and now Damon?" Elena said into his shoulder. "Why does this keep happening to me? Why does everyone I care about get hurt or kidnapped or die?"  
Alaric patted her head with his hand. "I don't know," he said uselessly.  
"We still don't even know where Stefan is!" Elena continued her sad rant. "We have nothing on him. And now Damon? Hell, we have no idea where he is. There's no note or anything!" Elena pulled away from his arms and looked around Damon's room. "We were left with _nothing._  
"I know, Elena," Alaric said gently. "And I promise you, we'll find them."  
Elena didn't answer him. She just stood frozen. "Elena-"then he understood. Katherine was right there.

**AN: I seriously thought about ending the chapter here, but decided against it since I have less than 300 words typed and that's just not enough. Haha**

Katherine's Point of View

Katherine stood in the doorway of Damon's bedroom for what seemed like an hour. When she got there, the hunter Alaric was hugging Elena who by no surprise, was crying. Weak human, she thought bitterly. How hard was it to hold in your emotions? She herself had been doing it for nearly 150 years. The vampire hunter and Elena broke from the hug, and Elena continued her complaining.  
"We were left with nothing!" Elena cried, looking around the room. Uh… Standing right here, Elena, Katherine thought with amusement. How did they not notice her yet? Elena's eyes wondered the room and that's when her eyes found Katherine. Katherine smiled at her. That's when Alaric noticed her.  
"Katherine," Elena said her tone cold as ice Katherine could almost feel it. She was impressed.  
"Elena," Katherine said, her tone a mock of surprise. She looked past her at Alaric. "You two look worried? What's the matter?"  
Alaric glared at her. "Where is he, Katherine?"  
Katherine, having fun playing with them said, "I don't know who you're talking aobut."  
"Quit playing around. Where's Damon?" Alaric yelled back.  
"Oh!" Katherine faked surprise again. "You meant Damon! Wow, look at me. So forgetful."  
"Answer the question," Alaric demanded.  
Katherine sighed. "Look at you. All concerned for your friend. The last time I saw you, you were with Damon when he got cured. You're a smart one. I'm pretty sure you can figure out where he is. If not, then that's not my problem."  
"He's with Klaus," Elena said. It wasn't spoken as a question.  
"When did you get so smart?"  
Alaric looked at her. "What do you want?"  
"I was wondering when you'd ask me that." Katherine stepped farther into the room and stood next to Elena and Alaric. "Klaus wants to make a deal."  
"And what makes you think that we would be interested in any deal he wants to make?" Alaric asked.  
"Well, I'd hope you would be." Katherine flashed him a devilish grin. "Especially with Damon and Stefan's life in the balance."  
Elena's eyes widened. "What does he want?"  
Katherine's attention moved toward Elena. "He wants you to stop playing hide and seek. You stop searching for us, and you'll get Damon back."  
Elena and Alaric both shared panicked expressions. She could easily tell neither of them knew what to do.  
"I'd agree to it," Katherine said. "It's not like you'll be able to find us anyway. Damon would have died for nothing if you decline. Plus, it's not like you'd want Stefan here now anyways."  
"What do you mean by that?" Elena demanded, stepping closer to her.  
Katherine smiled. "He's completely out of it. Lost his humanity. Did you know how easy it is to make him become the Ripper again? It's like a switch with an easy on, but a real tough off."  
"He fed him human blood?" Elena asked, sounding completely outraged. "What does Klaus want with a Ripper Stefan?"  
"I thought you were supposed to be the smart one, Elena," Katherine said, shaking her head. "Klaus wanted a little servant and what fun is it to have a servant that refuses to drink human blood and only worries about his human girlfriend all day?" Elena didn't answer. She just looked at Katherine in complete horror and disgust. "So, what's it going to be?" Katherine asked.  
"You know I can't answer that," Elena said.  
"Pity. Guess Klaus will have to just kill them both." Katherine turned and pretended to get ready to walk away even though she knew she didn't have to. Elena was too predictable.  
"Wait!" Elena called after her. "I have an answer!"

**AN: I almost ended it there, too but I have a problem with publishing a story that's less than 1,000 words.**

Elena's Point of View

Elena watched as Katherine turned to leave. She furrowed her brows, and thought hard. Stefan has no humanity, plus, we don't even know where Stefan is. But then again, if Stefan doesn't have his humanity, that means he needs her now more than ever. Plus, Elena just now found out Stefan for sure was alive. But even so, she knew what she had to do. It felt right in her heart. _I can't give up on him. I have to get him back. Then when we do, he'll help us save his brother.  
_ "Wait!" Elena called after her. "I have an answer!"

**Now I can end it since I'm passed 1,000! You guys probably really hate me right now. HaHa. Sorry. But I hope you all liked it and I hope to post soon. Maybe even tonight…. :D  
Love you all!**


	3. Brotherly Love?

**AN: This chapter is dedicated to Vidaurreta who private messaged me a really sweet message. I'm so glad you like it, Girl! Thanks for following it! She wrote two fanfictions herself. One is on Vampire Diaries, and you should go check it out. If I request it, it has to be good am I right? Or maybe you should ignore the narcissist's opinions. HaHa. Thanks to a guest reviewer on my other Fanfiction As I Lay Dying (Why am I thanking a review on a different fanfic of mine? The World may never know) I loved your review, and trust me, I know. But I had to move on. Disclaimer: I disclaim The Vampire Diaries. That's all I'm going to say. Enjoy this chapter. Warning: I really have no clue where I'm going with this. I'm winging it. I make this stuff up as I type. Except my last chapter. I made it up as I ate my cereal…**

Elena's Point of View

"Just tell me where Damon is," Elena said to Katherine after the moments of hesitation.  
Katherine looked at her in surprise. "Maybe you're not as predictable as I thought. Giving up your chance to find Stefan? Wow, Elena. You really took me off guard."  
"Where is he?" Elena asked again. "Are you keeping Damon with Stefan? When will we get to see him?"  
Katherine laughed like it was the funniest thing she'd ever heard. "You really think it was going to be that easy?"  
"What are you talking about?" Alaric asked.  
"I'm not just going to hand him over. I have better things to do," Katherine said. "You go get him."  
"Where is he?" Alaric asked. Katherine walked up to him and handed him a piece of paper. "Here's the directions to his location. I'd hurry if I were you. The person handling him isn't treating him very kindly." With that, Katherine was gone.

**Alaric's Point of View**

Alaric looked down at the piece of paper in his hands as soon as Katherine handed it to him. He unfolded it and furrowed his brow when he saw it was a map. Elena came running up to him and looked over his shoulder at the map.  
"What's that?" Elena asked pointing to a circled area on the map.  
"That, I assume, would be where Damon is."

**Damon's Point of View**

Damon woke up only to wish he hadn't. His head was pounding and when he moved, a sharp pain spread throughout his chest. He looked down only to see the front of his shirt soaked with what he knew to be blood.  
"What the hell?" Damon muttered to himself. Whatever had happened to him, his wound wasn't healing. He tried to move forward, but found it caused too much pain. He looked around in confusion. Where was he? It looked like a cave.  
"You're awake."  
Damon looked up when he heard his voice. "Stefan?"

**Alaric's Point of View**

"He's in a cave?" Alaric asked, looking at the map.  
Elena looked at it. "I've been there before. With my parents. It's an empty cave that people every now and then will visit. But definitely not this time of the year. It's not a bad place to keep a vampire."  
"How far is it?" Alaric asked.  
Elena sighed. "It's at least a three hour drive."  
Alaric shook his head. "Not when I'm driving."  
He went outside only to remember he'd given his car to Caroline to take Bonnie and Jeremy home the night he brought Damon home from the Grill.  
"First things first. I have to get my car."  
**  
**Alaric and Elena walked over to the Gilbert house. When he had called Caroline asking for his car, she said she had left it there for him.  
When they got to the house, Alaric was about to get in the car when he stopped.  
"What is it?" Elena asked.  
"We have to tell Jeremy where we're going," he explained. Elena nodded and they both went into the house. Jeremy was sitting on the couch and he looked up instantly when he heard the door open.  
"Oh, hey Alaric. Where've you been?" he asked.  
"I was with Damon," Alaric explained.  
"Oh, is he alright?" he asked. Elena wouldn't tell me. She just rushed out of the house at full speed. It kinda had me thinking he had-"  
"No, he got cured. He's fine. Or he was…" Alaric's voice trailed off.  
"Was? What did it not work or something?"  
Elena sighed. "Klaus took him."  
Jeremy looked at them. "What? Are you serious? Wow, that guy can't catch a break. Do you guys know where he is?"  
"Yeah, we just came to tell you that we would be gone for awhile," Alaric explained. "You'll be okay here?"  
"Oh, yeah, I'll be fine."  
Elena nodded. "We'll see you soon."  
They left the house and got into Alaric's car. "Alright, so according to the map, the cave is just south from here." Elena said.  
Alaric nodded. "Alright," he said. "Let's go get Damon."

**Damon's Point of View**

"Stefan?" Damon asked. That's when he came out of the shadows of the cave. Stefan walked over to Damon and nodded.  
"You're looking better than the last time I saw you," Stefan said. It wasn't an insulting thing to say, and maybe it was even suppose to be friendly, but just the way he said it… Stefan had always been too serious for Damon, but his voice was never this cold sounding. Where it used to be kind and warm, it now sounded completely dead.  
"Why are you doing this, Stefan?" Damon asked. "What about Elena? When she sees-"  
"Forget about Elena. She's not important anymore," Stefan said.  
"Oh, sure she is," Damon said, not believing a single word. "And the only reason you're saying otherwise is because Klaus has officially turned you into a mindless idiot."  
"I'm stronger now, Damon," Stefan taunted. "Isn't that what you wanted? To me to feed on human blood and become this? Ever since you returned to Mystic Falls you've been telling me that I need to start a new diet. I've finally done that." He kicked Damon hard in the side, causing Damon to yell in agony.  
"This isn't what I wanted, Stefan," Damon said, holding his side. "I never wanted this for you. Well maybe before, but not now." Damon made a move to get up but Stefan was already a step ahead of him. Before he knew it, a wooden stake was going through his chest just an inch from his chest.  
"I wouldn't if I were you," Stefan warned. He pulled out a syringe, and empted its contents in Damon's neck. The burning sensation that went through his body was excruciating. He was almost relieved when everything went black.

**Stefan's Point of View**

It felt good. He felt good-alive in fact. He wasn't the weak one anymore. As he empted a syringe full of vervain into Damon's neck, he almost laughed at how weak his older brother was now. A part of it he knew was because he still hadn't fully healed from the bite, and another part was because without a doubt, Damon was shocked at who Stefan was becoming. It's not for him to say who I am, Stefan thought.  
"There you are," Katherine said. "I'm back from the Boarding House."  
Stefan turned around. "And?"  
"And, you're not going to like this. Elena chose Damon over you."  
Stefan looked at her. "What?"  
Katherine smiled. "Oh yeah, she didn't even have to think about it."  
Stefan looked away from her. What Elena did didn't matter… did it? "I don't care," Stefan lied.  
"Don't you? Well I just thought you should know that Elena clearly loves Damon."  
Stefan looked back at her. It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. The same words went through his head. It didn't matter. He knew that. So why did he feel the hurt of Katherine's words?

**Katherine's Point of View**

Katherine walked into the cave and saw Stefan standing over what appeared to be an unconscious Damon. She had expected to see worse when she walked into the cave. She expected to see Damon on the edge of death. She was disappointed. No matter what, she knew Stefan would always have a hint of humanity. She knew the only thing to do was to get Damon on Stefan's bad side. But how exactly would she do that? Of course! It was so obvious it almost killed her. Who was the one person Stefan loved more than anyone? _Elena_  
""There you are," Katherine said. "I'm back from the Boarding House."  
Stefan turned around from looking over Damon.  
"And, you're not going to like this. Elena chose Damon over you." That part was the truth.  
Stefan looked at her. "What?"  
Katherine smiled. "Oh yeah, she didn't even have to think about it." There was where the lie came it. Elena definitely thought about it. She thought about it for what seemed like an hour.  
Stefan looked away from her. She was getting to him! "I don't care," he said. But Katherine saw right through it.  
"Don't you? Well I just thought you should know that Elena clearly loves Damon." The funny thing about that, was that Katherine honestly couldn't tell if it was a lie or the truth.

**AN: I know it looks like this is going to be all romantic, but it really isn't. I promise you that. It's still revolved around Alaric and Damon just…. Not yet… Haha. Every story needs it's rising action though, am I right? Don't worry, this boring stuff will be over soon. So what do you think? I don't have a lot of practice with writing in Katherine's point of view so sorry if she seems a little OOC here and in the last chapter. Same with evil Stefan. I actually can't believe I posted two chapters in one night. And this chapter is pretty decent sized. Over 1,600 words! I need a life…  
**


	4. Forgotten Love

**AN: It's like 12:10am but I don't care. HaHa. It's not like I have to sleep or anything… I'll post the thanks reviews later in the chapter… Somewhere… Possibly… I guess we'll find out. Disclaimer: I'm just a fan of the series. Not the owner of it. Oh, this chapter will have some nice Alaric/Damon scenes. :D**

Alaric's Point of View

Alaric had been driving with Elena for about an hour and a half now. Both were getting anxious as the time went by. They had no idea what was happening to Damon or who he was with.  
"We'll be there in about an hour," Alaric said to Elena who was clearly getting impatient. "Damon's strong. He can pull through."  
"Not at the moment he's not," Elena reminded him. "It hasn't been that long since he got cured. He still hadn't regained all his strength."  
Alaric looked ahead at the road. "I know," he said quietly, finally facing reality. No matter how much he didn't want to admit it, Alaric knew Damon was in trouble.

**Damon's Point of View**

Damon woke up to the feeling of someone kicking him hard in the side. With a groan, he opened his eyes. Memories of what had happened earlier flashed through his mind. He looked up at his so called brother. "Stefan," he groaned. "What the hell?"  
"Don't worry. Looks like Elena and Ric are on their way to save you," Stefan spat. "They chose you. After everything they chose you!"  
Damon looked at Stefan in confusion. "What are you talking about, Stefan?"  
"It doesn't matter. You'll be out of here soon enough. I'll be with Klaus and everything will go back to the way everyone wants it to be."  
"No one wants this for you, brother," Damon said, still not understanding why Stefan was saying what he was.  
"Shut up," Stefan hissed. His foot connected with Damon's side and Damon rolled, clutching it. The pain was unbearable. Then again, Stefan was after all, stronger than usual.  
"Stefan, you need to hear me out. This isn't you. Try to remember what you used to be like."  
Stefan kneeled down next to Damon. "Never talk to me about what I used to be like ever again," his tone was dangerous and cold. Without warning, Stefan jabbed another stake into his body. This time though, it was a little under the heart. But something was wrong. It burned more than usual. That's when he realized it: Vervain.  
"Burns, huh?" Stefan asked with a cruel smile on his face. "Better get used to it. You're only mine for another hour or so."

**Stefan's Point of View**

Damon had hurt him too much. No matter what, Elena will always love him. It made him so angry. He wished he could just cause him enough pain for the amount of time Damon had hurt him. However; that would take years. Stefan only had around an hour. Klaus' orders were to specifically let him go once his rescuers where there. He said it was how their game worked but honestly, Stefan was getting tired of playing. It frustrated him. So, he took that frustration out on Damon.

**Alaric's Point of View**

"Just about ten more minutes," Elena said eagerly. "God, I hope he's okay, Ric."  
What Elena had been saying to Alaric was sort of a blur. For the past three hours or so in the car, Elena had been nervously talking to him but he would only hear a word every now and then. His thoughts were completely elsewhere. He thought about Damon and the first time he saw him. It was at the bar and he instantly recognized him as the murderous monster that killed his wife. Little did he know that the man responsible for his wife's death would become someone that meant so much to him. How did they become friends in the first place? When did Alaric even start to see the other side of Damon?  
"RIC!" Elena said.  
Alaric glanced over to her. "What?"  
"I've been talking to you for the past three minutes. Where have you been?" Elena asked.  
"Just a little trip down memory lane," Alaric explained.  
"You are worried, aren't you?" Elena said.  
"You're not going to let it go until you hear me say yes, are you?"  
"No," she agreed.  
"Yeah, I'm worried," Alaric admitted. "I know he's not the strongest right now." Elena just nodded and Alaric-keeping one hand on the steering wheel- reached his arm across and put it on Elena's shoulder.

**Damon's Point of View (Sorry, I'm sort of going back and forth)**

Damon was sitting up against the wall of the cave, holding his side which now had a stake sticking out of it. He wanted to pull it out but he found he just didn't have the energy. He was getting more and more weak and the vervain that Stefan would coat the stakes with wasn't helping.  
"Getting tired, brother?" Stefan asked, using Damon's nickname against him.  
"Not at all," Damon lied. He didn't want to give Stefan the glory of knowing how much pain he had caused him.  
"Bummer," Stefan said, shaking his head. "Looks like I'm going to have to try harder."  
"What is wrong with you?" Damon asked only to be ignored. Instead Stefan just pulled out another stake.  
"I'd watch it if I were you," Stefan warned. "Before I ram this into your heart."  
"You can't. Isn't that against your master's words?" Damon asked, mocking him.  
Stefan snarled. He shoved the stake into Damon's leg and Damon had to hold back a cry of pain. Suddenly, Stefan's head jerked up towards the entrance of the cave. "Sounds like your rescue party is here," he said bitterly. "That's my cue to go." Then Damon watched as Stefan sprinted out of there.

**Alaric's Point of View (Last switch, I promise)**

Alaric had pulled up to the cave and was instantly out of the car when he saw something flash by him. It must have been a vampire, but he was unable to tell who it was. It didn't matter, though. The identity of the vampire was the last thing on his mind. Not even checking to see if Elena was behind him, Alaric sprinted toward the cave's entrance.  
"Damon?" he called once he was inside. There wasn't an answer.  
"Damon?" this time Elena was the one who called. Alaric turned and saw that she had made her way into the cave as well. "Damon, are you here?"  
Alaric moved into the cave a bit farther and saw Damon lying on the ground. Without hesitation, Alaric sprinted to his side. "Damon!"  
The vampire was unresponsive and Alaric saw all the blood that was around his body. "Damon?" Alaric took off his own jacket and was about to press it up to Damon's chest when he saw the stake poking out of it.  
"Oh my, god," Elena whispered, kneeling next to Alaric.  
"I have to get the stakes out of him," he explained to Elena. She nodded and looked at Alaric as he gripped the stake with both hands and pulled. The sound of the stake coming out of the flesh made Alaric wince and he looked down at Damon sympathetically. He eventually got it out, and he tossed it to the side. "One more," he whispered to Damon. The second one was in his leg so it was much easier to get out. He tossed it to the side with the other one.  
"We have to stop the bleeding," Alaric told Elena.  
"Shouldn't his body be doing that on his own? He's a vampire."  
"Yeah, it should," Alaric said. "But there's too much vervain in him. He's not healing properly." Alaric took the jacket and pressed it up to Damon's chest.  
"Do you think he'll be okay?" Elena asked.  
Alaric didn't have an answer.


	5. Safe and Sound

**AN: Thanks again to Raphs No. 1 Girl. I'm so glad you like it and I'm glad you like my writing! Thanks again to Michelle Salvatore (I love your profile picture by the way) for another great review. Haha, sadly, I had to look up the word riveting, but now that I know what it means, thanks! Disclaimer: If I were the owner, why would I be writing these?**

Alaric's Point of View

Alaric kept his jacket pressed up against Damon's chest. "We have to move him," he said. He brushed back some of Damon's hair. "Damon," he said trying to get him to respond. He knew that it would be quite difficult to carry Damon out.  
"What do we do?" Elena asked.  
Alaric sighed. "I'm going to have to try to move him. But it would be a lot easier if he was awake." Alaric nudged him gently but there was still no answer. "He's out cold," Alaric said, shaking his head.  
Alaric groaned and put his hand under Damon's back. Slowly, he lifted up the vampire. "Get the car door, Elena," he ordered. "I'm going to put him in the back." Elena nodded and ran ahead of him. Alaric slowly carried Damon out. "God, you're heavy," Alaric whispered to him. He knew he was just lucky that while Damon was sick, he hadn't been eating much, so he more than likely lost weight.  
Alaric eventually got Damon to the car and he put him in the back. He was hesitant to leave him.  
"I'll drive and you can sit back with him," Elena offered, apparently knowing what Alaric was thinking.  
"Thanks," Alaric said, and got into the back with Damon.

They were just arriving in Mystic Falls. They'd be at the Salvatore Mansion in about ten minutes. Damon still hadn't woken up which made Alaric worry even more.  
"Come on, Damon," he whispered. "You're going to make me carry you out of the car, too?" He brushed Damon's hair back again. In alarm, Alaric felt how warm Damon's forehead was. "Damn," he said softly.  
"What's going on?" Elena asked.  
"He has a high fever," Alaric explained. "I don't know if it's from all the vervain or if it's because he still was recovering from being sick when he was kidnapped."  
"We're almost there," Elena said, sounding more like she was saying it to herself.  
Alaric nodded and pulled his attention back on Damon. The vampire was more pale than usual due to blood loss and he was starting to sweat. Alaric was reminded of when Damon was dying from the werewolf bite.  
"We're here!" Elena called back to him. Alaric looked out the window and saw them pull into the Salvatore's driveway. Elena got out of the car and opened the door for Alaric.  
"I was so hoping you'd be awake by now," Alaric muttered. He once again put his hands under his back and lifted him up. Carefully, he got Damon out of the car.  
"I'll open their house door for you," Elena said as she ran off. Alaric walked over to the Salvatore Mansion and went through the now opened door. He stepped into the living room and knowing there was no way in hell he'd be able to get Damon upstairs, walked over to the couch and lightly laid Damon on it.  
"Elena go get some blood bags," Alaric ordered. "I'm going to get something to cool him down." Alaric walked out of the living room and into the kitchen where he grabbed a cloth and wetted it down with cold water. He went back into the living room and kneeled beside the couch.  
"I got the blood bags," Elena said stepping into the room. She set three bags of blood on the table next to the couch.  
Alaric nodded in acknowledgement but didn't turn his attention away from Damon. He set the washcloth on his forehead. Then he began to run the back of his hand down Damon's flushed cheeks.  
"Ric?" Damon's eyes opened.  
Alaric smiled. "I was starting to wonder if you'd ever wake up."  
Damon glanced around. "How'd I get home?" he asked.  
"Elena and I went to the cave you were in and brought you home," Alaric explained.  
"How are you feeling?" Elena asked.  
"Wonderful," Damon whispered. His voice was too weak to sound sarcastic. He closed his eyes only to open them quickly. "Stefen!" he said.  
"Yeah, we know," Alaric said gently. "We want to find him, too. But we really have to make sure you're actually strong this time before we start looking for him."  
"No, that's not it," Damon said. He looked at Elena. "He's really not the same."  
"I know," she whispered, her voice sad. "Katherine told us.  
Damon shook his head. "He's really messed up right now."  
"You saw him?" Elena asked.  
"Yeah, he's the one who did this to me."  
There was a long silence. Alaric and Elena exchanged looks and Elena looked at Damon. "What?"  
"He's lost all his humanity," Damon said. "He admitted that he wanted to kill me."  
"But he didn't," Alaric pointed out.  
"Because Klaus forbade it," Damon explained. "Elena, why did you choose me over Stefan?"  
"How do you know about that?" Elena asked, sounding embarrassed and horrified.  
"Stefan told me."  
"Stefan knows? Oh, this is bad." She ran her hand through her hair.  
"He's not really happy with either of us at the moment," Damon said, closing his eyes.  
"You look tired," Alaric observed, brushing some of the sweaty hair from his face. "We learned not to push your body too far, so we'll talk about this tomorrow."  
Damon nodded and it seemed like he was out in an instant.  
Alaric turned to Elena. "Do you need me to drive you home?" he asked.  
Elena nodded. "I don't really want to stay here. It would be weird since Stefan-"  
"I understand," Alaric said softly. "No need to explain."  
Elena sighed. "Thank you."  
Alaric grabbed his keys and headed towards the door. He stopped, glancing back at Damon making sure he was okay one last time. "I'll be right back," he whispered, even though it was obvious Damon wouldn't be able to hear him. But still, Alaric felt the need to say it.

**AN: Sorry, this one is sort of shorter than most. I had to end it somewhere though. Next chapter will be posted soon, don't worry. **


	6. Call for Help

**AN: Thanks to Delena4Nian. I'm so glad you're reading this story too! Also, thanks again to Michelle Salvatore and you're welcome. Haha. Anyway, I have to admit, I have no clue where I'm going with this story. I'm totally just winging it. I make it up as I go. So if the story ever seems unplanned… it's because it is. Disclaimer: I wish I owned it because then me and Ian would be buddies. XD but I don't. I've never met Ian Somerhalder… I'm just a crazy girl that is obsessed with him…**

Elena's Point of View

Elena and Alaric pulled into the Gilbert house. "Thanks, Alaric," she said. She opened the car door and was getting out when Alaric called after. "Wait." He grabbed her arm, keeping her in place.  
She turned around, almost seeing irritated. "What?"  
"Talk to me, Elena. What's wrong?"  
Elena tried not to laugh at the question. What isn't wrong? She had to hold back a snarky response. Instead, she drew in a breath. "I chose Stefan's brother over him. I'm going to have to live with that. Especially if something happens to him. If Stefan dies or gets hurt, it'll be on me." She pulled her arm away, and left the car, not even glancing back at Alaric. She walked up her front steps and walked into the house.  
"Elena," Jeremy said as soon as she had stepped foot into the living room. "You're back. Is Alaric with you?"  
"No, he's with Damon," Elena explained.  
"How is Damon?" Jeremy asked, sounding genuinely concerned.  
Elena sighed. "Not too good," she admitted. "He was unconscious when we reached him and he stayed out the entire car ride. He woke up a little after we brought him home, but then was out again."  
"Sounds like he's been having a rough night," Jeremy said. He glanced at Elena and looked into her eyes. "What else is wrong?"  
"With Damon?"  
"With you."  
Elena looked at him. "What do you mean?"  
"Something is wrong," Jeremy observed. "You can tell me."  
Elena looked away. "It's Stefan. Klaus has him and he had no humanity left. Plus, I practically chose Damon over him. What kind of girlfriend does that make me?" Jeremy pulled her into a hug after a tear slid down her face. "That's not all," she said into his shoulder. "Stefan is completely out of it. He's the one who hurt Damon. He tortured him for _hours._"  
"Are you serious?" Jeremy asked.  
Elena nodded and pulled away. "I don't know what to do, Jer."  
"I'm so sorry, Elena." Elena could tell Jeremy didn't know what to do. She smiled. "Thanks, Jer." She wiped her eyes. "I'm going to bed." And with that, she headed upstairs to her room.

**Alaric's Point of View**

"Come on, Damon, just drink!" For the past five minutes Alaric had been trying to get Damon to feed only to be disappointed and frustrated. Alaric poured more blood into Damon's mouth only to watch it spill out for the fifth time. "Oh, come on!" Alaric yelled. His patience was running out. "You need to drink or you won't get better." Damon was unresponsive.  
Alaric in frustration threw the blood bag across the room and it hit the wall with a splatter. Alaric stood up straight and ran his hands through his hair. "Damon, I don't know what to do." He felt so helpless. It was like when Jenna died. He just didn't know what to do. There was only one person he actually knew that would be able to help them: Stefan. But since Stefan was definitely unavailable, it left him with no one. There was Elena, Caroline, Bonnie, Jeremy, Matt and Tyler who basically were in on the vampire world, but obviously none of them could do anything. He doubted there was any spell that Bonnie could use that would help him.  
Alaric knew what he had to do. It was a long shot, but he had to try. He went over to where his jacket was on the back of a chair. He grimaced when he saw how much of Damon's blood was on it. He reached into one of its pockets and pulled out his cell phone. Scrolling through the names in his contact list, he came across the one he needed. He was hesitated for a short while before finally decided to call the number.  
It rang once. Twice. Three times. Alaric was beginning to think that it wasn't going to work when suddenly in the middle of the fourth ring, there was an answer.  
"You and I both know I'm not going to help you." Those were the first words Alaric was greeted with.  
"Stefan," Alaric began. "He's your brother. I know Klaus isn't going to let you leave, but we'll find a way. Please, Stefan. Damon needs your help. He's not drinking and-"  
"Maybe I don't want to help Damon," Stefan cut in.  
"That's a lie and you know it," Alaric said. "Are you telling me that you actually want your own brother to die? After all you two have been through together? I don't believe it. After all, you are with Klaus because you wanted to save him in the first place."  
"Maybe things have changed."  
"Elena loves _you, _Stefan." Alaric yelled into the phone, knowing why Stefan was so mad at Damon. "She only chose Damon because you don't have your humanity. Usually you wouldn't have cared if Damon got saved and not you. The only reason you're acting like this is because Klaus has been forcing you to drink human blood. This isn't you Stefan."  
Stefan was silent for a moment. Alaric was worried that he wasn't going to answer, when suddenly he heard Stefan sob.  
"Stefan?"  
"I need help, Alaric. I want to regain my humanity, but what if I don't."  
"The fact that you're thinking of all this, tells me that you're going to be just fine."  
"What do I do?"  
"We can think of a way to get you out and-"  
Stefan cut him off. "No. I can't leave."  
"Why not? Don't tell me that you actually want to stay there…"  
"Of course I don't," Stefan said and Alaric breathed a sigh of relief. "Then what's the problem?"  
"Damon's only alive because of Klaus," Stefan began. "And Klaus won't let me forget that. He says that if I leave, he'll just bite Damon and it'll start back up. Except that this time, he says won't give a cure no matter what."  
"What do we do?" Alaric asked.  
"I have no idea," Stefan admitted. "But I'm sorry, Alaric, I have to go. Klaus doesn't necessarily know that I'm talking to you." And with that, Stefan hung up.  
Alaric sighed and tossed his phone onto a nearby chair. He glanced at the unconscious Damon. "Well that got us nowhere."


	7. The Deadly Bargain

**AN: Okay, I want to give huge thanks to Raphs No. 1 Girl because her last review was so sweet and she brought a smile to my face. I'm really glad you're liking this as much as you are. Another big thanks to Wicked R, who went on a review streak! That's awesome. So, go check out her profile! Also, I'd like to say that I know that this is the complete opposite of what happens in the episode. From the last episode Stefan seems to have gotten over things pretty quickly. Haha. Also, I apologize for the, "Elena loves you, Stefan" thing. I know I told you guys that it wouldn't be a Stelana or a Delena story but as Raphs No. 1 Girl said, it is almost impossible to write a TVD fanfiction without making a reference to the love triangle. As we all know, it's so huge in the series, so it's hard to get the characters right without mentioning it. Hopefully that will be the last time. Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me. :/ they belong to the people who actually own the series. And actually, they belong to L.J Smith since she wrote the books which made the T.V Series…**

Alaric's Point of View

Alaric ran a wet cloth down Damon's cheeks. The vampire's fever hadn't been going downand Alaric was doing his best to make him comfortable. "Look what you got into now," Alaric whispered. "Why do you always get yourself into these messes, Damon? Would it kill you once in your life to not put yourself into a dangerous situation?" Alaric knew that Damon wasn't going to talk back, but he kept talking. "I called Stefan. I'm not sure, but I think he's really getting better. He feels bad for hurting you."

**Stefan's Point of View**

"This is serious," Stefan said, growing irritated. "Two years for two days. It's an offer you can't refuse."  
Klaus laughed. "You're willing to give me two extra years, just to be with your brother for two days?"  
"Yes," Stefan agreed without hesitation.  
"That is the most peculiar thing I've ever heard of."  
"That's because you wouldn't care if a family member died," Stefan pointed out harshly.  
Klaus stared at him and smiled. "Fine. Go to your brother." Stefan nodded and was about to turn and leave when Klaus stopped him.  
"How did you get your humanity back?"  
"I got reminded what was really important." And with that, Stefan left a baffled Klaus.

**Alaric's Point of View**

Alaric was tired. He was tired of waiting for Damon to wake up, and he was tired of not knowing what to do. As he paced around the room, he wondered what Damon must have been thinking as Stefan hurt him. That's when he heard the door open. He glanced over and felt his jaw drop.  
"STEFAN?" In an instant Alaric was protectively standing in front of Damon. "Please tell me you're you."  
"It's me," Stefan clarified. "I promise."  
"How can I know for sure?" Alaric asked.  
"You're just going to have to trust me, Alaric. Please! I need to see Damon."  
Alaric looked into Stefan's eyes. He was surprised to see genuine concern in the depths of them. With a nod, he whispered, "okay," and moved to the side, allowing Stefan to get through.  
Stefan blurred past Alaric and feel to his knees beside the couch where Damon lay. "Did I do this?"  
"Yeah," Alaric said, not helping the anger that rose to his voice. "Yeah, you did that to your own brother."  
Stefan looked at Alaric as if he had hit him. "I wasn't in my right mind, Ric," Stefan reminded him. "You know that."  
"I know," Alaric whispered. "But that doesn't make it anymore easier on anyone." Desperate to change the subject, Alaric cleared his throat. "He needs to wake up so he can drink, but he seems unresponsive."  
"Have you tried warm blood?" Stefan asked.  
Alaric gave him a puzzled look. "What?"  
"Warm blood," Stefan said again. "You grab a blood bag, heat it up, and put it in his face. It's sort of like a smelling salt for someone who has fainted. When the blood is warm, the smell is almost exactly alike from the smell of blood from the vain. It usually wakes vampires up in situations like this."  
"Why didn't I think of that?" Alaric asked, angry and irritated with himself. This entire time I've been sitting here, doing absolutely nothing."  
"You were here for him. That's something."  
Alaric looked at him and swallowed. "But I don't think it's enough."  
Stefan put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm going to go heat up some blood, okay?"  
Alaric nodded and watched as Stefan left. The irritation with himself still hadn't left. He glanced at Damon. "I better not be too late."  
Stefan came back into the room. "What was that?"  
"Oh, nothing I was talking to-" Alaric stopped, not wanting to sound crazy. "Uh, never mind." Changing the subject, he asked. "Why did Klaus let you go in the first place?"  
Stefan looked at him. "You can't tell Elena. At least not now."  
"I'm in no position to lie to her now," Alaric said.  
"Please," Stefan pleaded. "She can't know. Not yet."  
"Fine," Alaric said finally. "What?"  
"I traded two days for two years."  
Alaric looked at him. "Are you crazy?"  
"Damon needed me. It was the least I could do," Stefan reminded him.  
"He's not going to be too happy about this when he wakes up," Alaric said.  
Stefan shrugged. He handed Alaric a warm bag of blood. "You should give it to him. I don't want to be in his face when he wakes up since I'm the one that…"  
"I understand." Alaric took the bag and walked over to Damon. He put the blood bag in his face, and stroked his hair. "C'mon, Damon."  
Suddenly, Damon's eyes opened. Alaric quickly ripped the bag, and poured some in a glass. Knowing that Damon wouldn't be able to hold anything, he poured some of the blood into Damon's mouth for him, breathing a sigh of relief. "It's about time."  
Damon looked at him. "What do you mean?" His voice was weak and hoarse, and Alaric had to strain his ears to hear him.  
"I've been trying to feed you for hours." He poured more blood into a glass and fed Damon more. "I'm not going to let you stop drinking until we make up for all the blood you lost."  
That's when Damon's eyes fell on Stefan.

**Hate to end it there, but I have to post this ASAP! I haven't updated in DAYS and I feel super bad about it. But I have had a lot of other things to do. **** But, I will work on updating daily like I used to. :D Thanks again for the reviewers, and also sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I was also super stuck on it. I would have it open for about forty-five minutes, only to give up. **


	8. Wounds that Bind Us

**AN: Thank you to some guest reviewers! I'm starting this chapter Thursday night, but I probably won't post it tonight because Vampire Diaries is on! The cliffhanger killed me! Anyways, hope you like this chapter! Disclaimer: It says it all in the word "disclaimer"… ONE MORE THING! Because you all are awesome, I'm going to make you all read a short, funny story about what I have to go through in my house:  
Me: *Watching a Dalaric video. Sees brother come along and quickly turns screen*  
Brother: What?  
Me: Nothing…  
Brother: *Runs over and sees screen* So… it's a fan video on Dalaric. Is he an embarrassing character or something?  
Me: It's not just one character… it's two…  
Brother: So…  
Me: It's also a pairing. Like love pairing.  
Brother: I don't get what the big deal is…  
Me: They're both guys…  
Brother: THAT'S DIGSUSTING, MELODY! *Leaves room*  
No one in my house understands…  
Sorry, had to share that… Also, someone named DMZNumber1Turnout (I hope that's right) asked me why I didn't post this as a slash fic. She asked me if I was against gay pairings, but obviously I'm not. I watch the videos. XD But there's three reasons this isn't a slash: 1.) As you can see, no one in my family really goes for that kind of thing and if one happened to read it, I didn't want anyone in my family to see that I write about two guys. They'd think I'm weird… 2.) I sort of wanted to keep the characters as they really are in the series. That's why Stefan and Elena are together. This also means Damon and Alaric are not. 3.) For the readers. I definitely don't want to bring up the whole "gay rights" idea, so don't rant about it in the comments, but some people feel uncomfortable with it, and their friendship pairing is a lot more common and popular, so I went with that.  
Alaric's Point of View**

Alaric stared at Damon whose eyes were actually wide with fear. He tried to sit up, but Alaric pushed him back down. "Calm down," Alaric ordered gently.  
"What's he doing here?" Damon panted.  
"He wants to help," Alaric explained sadly.  
"Tell him I say no thank you," Damon said, not glancing at Stefan. Alaric's heart broke with Damon's genuine fear.  
"It's okay," Alaric said gently. "It's Stefan. He has his humanity back."  
"How do you know it's not a trick?" Damon asked, but the fear in his eyes had begun to fade.  
"I just do. I trust him. Plus, he helped me wake you up when you weren't responding."  
Damon glanced at Stefan. The hurt and betrayal in his eyes was present, and Alaric glanced at Stefan and saw guilt in the depths of his eyes.  
"I'm so sorry, Damon," Stefan said, his voice breaking. "You could have died because of me."  
"Might I remind you that the only reason I'm still here today is because of you." Alaric glanced at Damon in surprise. He had expected Damon to yell, but he seemed to understand now. "And I'm not just talking about the cure."  
Stefan walked over to Damon. "I owed it to you."  
"You didn't owe me anything!" Damon hissed back. "How are you here anyway?"  
Stefan looked away. "Klaus let me come for two days."  
Damon scoffed. "Klaus just let you come here for two days just out of the goodness of his heart? How stupid do you think I am? What did you give in return, Stefan?"  
"Two years." Alaric watched as Damon shook his head.  
"What? No! Stefan, why do you always have to be the hero?" All the yelling set Damon to a coughing fit and Alaric put his hand on Damon's shoulder. He poured another glass of blood and once Damon was done, put the glass up to his mouth and had him drink.  
"You need to take it easy," Alaric warned him.  
"It's kind of hard to when Stefan is being a complete idiot," Damon said, his voice hoarse. Alaric had him take another drink.  
"I know you don't think I made the right choice, but I did," Stefan defended himself.  
"What are we going to tell Elena, Stefan?" Damon asked him. "How are we going to tell her? She hates me enough already without knowing I just added two years to your time. And before you say anything, we are going to tell her, no arguments."  
Stefan looked away. "Elena can't know."  
"You don't think she won't be counting down the days until you come back? Stefan, two years may not be a long time for us, but Elena is _human. _Twelve years total, is a very long time for her."  
"How can I tell her?" Stefan asked.  
"You're on your own on that one."  
Stefan got up from where he was kneeling. "Let me see how your wounds are healing." Alaric helped Damon as he lifted up his shirt. The areas that had stakes coming out of them when Alaric saved him were the areas that were healing the worst. "The blood has definitely been helping, but there is still room for improvement," Stefan observed.  
Alaric sighed silently to himself. When was this finally going to end? He wondered. Alaric poured Damon another glass of blood and poured it into Damon's mouth. "How strong do you feel?" he asked him.  
"I think strong enough to pour myself my own drink," he snapped, giving Alaric a look. And he shot his hands up in surrender.  
Stefan laughed quietly.  
"What?" Alaric demanded.  
"It's like watching an old married couple," he said laughing.  
"What's this?" Damon asked sarcastically. "Do I actually here Stefan laughing?"  
Stefan licked his lips and looked embarrassed. "I laugh," he said as a matter of factually.  
Alaric looked at him. "Not that much."  
Stefan raised his eyebrows at Alaric. "You don't have any room to talk."  
Damon nodded. "He's right. I think I'm the only one here that knows how to have fun."  
"And you're always the one who gets himself into all this trouble," Alaric pointed out. "Which I don't think is a coincidence."  
"Alaric,"  
Alaric turned around and saw Elena coming through the door. Then, he realized that Stefan was here. Thinking quickly, he ran over to Elena and blocked Stefan from her view.  
"Alaric?" Elena looked at him suspiciously. She tried to look passed him, but he moved in her way each time.  
Giving up, she sighed. "Alaric, what's going on?"  
"Look, I'm about to show you something and you have to promise to not freak out or do anything stupid."  
Elena gave him a puzzled look. It held, when suddenly her eyes went wide. "Oh, god no!" she put her hand to her mouth. "Damon!"  
For just a moment he was puzzled, before he understood. "What? No! He's not dead. Actually this isn't even about Da-"  
"Well is he okay?" Elena asked.  
"Who?"  
"Damon!"  
Alaric nodded. "Uh… he's getting better," he explained quickly, rushing to get to the point. "But look, you see S-"  
Without warning, Elena pushed past Alaric. "Damon!" she called for him. Alaric still had his back turned, but he could tell when Elena's eyes fell on Stefan. For there was a loud yell.  
"YOU!"

**Sorry, this chapter was really dry. It's actually my second to last one. Surprise! XD I totally didn't even notice where I was at in this. Sorry, I know it seems like my heart isn't in it as much, but trust me, it is. I've been so stuck though! I have some ideas, but I'd love to take more! 3 Oh, and if it goes past one more chapter, that's fine. :D  
**


	9. Questions needing Answers

**AN: Last chapter, guys! It has been fun! But there is really not anywhere else I can go with this. :/ I really hoped you liked it, and if you did, you should check out my first one: As I Lay Dying with a Friend (If you haven't already) Thanks to a guest reviewer; I'm glad you like Alaric in this! Also, thanks to Michelle Salvatore again! It has been fun, but don't worry, I'm starting my 100 fanfic challenge now-well actually already, and so you'll see a lot from me! I'm doing mine off of Damon and Alaric (of course) and who knows, there might be some Damon torture!... Okay, knowing me, there definitely will be in at least 10 of them. HaHa! Thanks guys! Enjoy this last chapter!**

Alaric's Point of View

Alaric turned around quickly and walked into the living room where Elena was glaring at Stefan. He opened his mouth to say something, when Elena's hand struck Stefan's cheek. Hard. The strength was surprising for Elena, and even as a vampire, Stefan must have felt some sting.  
"Alaric!" Elena yelled. "We have to get him away from Damon!" She turned to face him, and Alaric saw the panic flash in her eyes. She looked at Stefan and in a low, dangerous voice, she said, "you stay away from us, Stefan."  
"Elena-"Damon began, trying to sit up.  
Elena moved in front of Damon, her back facing the eldest vampire. "Don't move."  
"Elena, "Damon said again, the weakness in his voice not hiding the desperation. "It's okay."  
Elena finally shifted her gaze off Stefan. She glanced at Damon. "What part of this is okay?"  
"His humanity is back," Alaric stepped in. "He was out of it when he hurt Damon. He wasn't in his right mind?"  
"And you trust this?" Elena breathed out astonished. "Vampires can't just regain her humanity." She turned to Damon. "You should know this - you're a vampire."  
"Elena it wasn't a sudden action," Damon explained, exhaustion in his voice. "Strong feeling for a certain someone helped him regain it."  
Elena looked back and forth between Damon and Stefan, when finally her gaze stuck to Stefan. "I get it now," she whispered.  
Stefan was silent. The red mark on his cheek from Elena's slap was still visible, and Alaric found himself mentally chuckling at the strength Elena has hidden inside. But suddenly, it became serious when Damon started coughing violently. Everyone was by his side in a second.  
Once Damon caught his breath, he waved everyone away. "I'm fine," he said. Alaric wasn't sure he believed him.  
"You should be way better by now," he stated. "I've been feeding you blood all day."  
Damon shook his head. "I'm fine, Ric," said. Alaric looked Damon, still not believing him. He looked into his eyes and saw past everything. In the depths of the blue, he saw pain and misery. But knowing Damon would kill him if he did otherwise, Alaric kept to himself.  
"What we really need to be worrying about, is idiot Stefan making his stupid deals," Damon continued.  
Elena glanced at Stefan. "What's he talking about, Stefan?"  
Stefan didn't look at her. Alaric guessed he wasn't sure how to answer.  
"Two years for two days," Damon explained for him. "He gave two years there for two days here."  
Elena's eyes widened at Stefan. "What? Why?"  
"I owed it," Stefan had said for probably the tenth time that day. Mostly to Damon, but also I owed it to you, too."  
Elena looked at him sympathetically. "I know why you did it, and I know it was the right thing to do but-"her voice broke off.  
"It was _not _the right thing to do," Damon cut in. "It was stupid."  
"Damon-"Stefan was apparently growing exasperated. He stopped as Damon began to cough again. His body shook with each violent one. Alaric, who had been closest to Damon, reached him first. He could feel the concern on his own face as he held Damon's shoulder in comfort.  
Stefan and Elena who were also both by his side exchanged worried glances. When Damon was done, he was gasping for air.  
"Are you okay?" Alaric asked. He knew the answer was no, and he knew Damon would say yes.  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Damon lied making Alaric sigh.  
"Damon," he began. "You're going to have to tell us what's wrong if we're going to help you get through this."  
"I don't need help," Damon snapped.  
"Damon, Alaric is right," Stefan said. "Before your pride gets you really hurt, tell us what's wrong."  
Damon laid back down on the couch in defeat. "I don't know what's wrong to be honest. Everything just hurts."  
Alaric looked at Damon sympathetically.  
"It's late," Stefan announced. "We all need some rest." He glanced at Damon. "I don't want you to have to spend another night on the couch. I'll help you upstairs."  
Damon nodded, but once he tried to sit up, Alaric saw him go pale and he looked like he was about to collapse. Stefan moved toward him and wrapped his arm around Damon's waist. "Are you alright?" he asked his older brother.  
"Fine," Damon lied again. But Stefan didn't say anything. He just nodded and before Alaric could blink, he already had Damon upstairs.  
"What happens next?"Elena asked surprising Alaric.  
He glanced at her. "I have no idea."  
Stefan was back downstairs. "Alaric, do you want to stay in one of the guest bedrooms?" Alaric hesitated. He glanced outside. He nodded. "Yeah, thanks. But I'll call Jeremy to let him know."  
Stefan nodded. He headed upstairs, Elena right behind him, and Alaric assumed they were going to be staying in the same room. "No sex, guys!" he joked. Elena turned around and raised her eyebrows and smiled.  
"Taking charge, Ric?" she asked smiling.  
"I'm your guardian now," he said laughing. "No sex until marriage."  
Elena pretended to be upset. "Bummer, because Stefan and I were totally planning on having vampire slash human sex while there were two other people in the house." She and Alaric said goodnight and Alaric pulled out his phone.  
Jeremy answered on the third ring. "Alaric?"  
"Hey, Jer it's me. I'll be staying at the Boarding House tonight."  
"Is Damon alright?" Jeremy asked with genuine concern.  
"He might not admit it, but he's in bad shape. He was still slightly ill from the bite when he got taken. I think the illness instead of getting better, is slowly coming back due to his injuries and lack of blood."  
"Is there anything you guys can do?" Jeremy asked.  
"I've been feeding him blood when he was too weak to do so himself, but he really isn't doing to good."  
"Alright, well thanks for letting me know," Jeremy said.  
"Later, Jer." He and Jeremy hung up and Alaric put his phone back in his pocket. Grabbing a glass of blood, he headed upstairs to Damon's room. The door was shut, and Alaric opened it.  
"Damon?" he called out.  
He heard a grunt in response, and Alaric stepped inside. "Good, you're awake. I want you to drink one more glass of blood before you pass out."  
Damon tried to sit up, but was obviously struggling with the effort. Alaric helped him and he propped him up against the headboard. He put the glass up to Damon's lips and Damon drank. He frowned as he saw how slowly and hesitantly he was drinking.  
"Are you feeling alright?" Alaric asked.  
Damon just shook his head and Alaric put the glass on the bedside table. "Where's the bin from the last time you threw up?" he asked himself out-loud. He found it by the bed. "If you need it, it's right there." Alaric said, pointing to it.  
"This is like a really bad case of déjà-vu," Damon said.  
Alaric laughed. "You're telling me. Only this time you're not dying, and you're not as sick as you were before."  
"Still feel like crap," Damon admitted, closing his eyes.  
Alaric smiled sympathetically. "Yeah, that doesn't surprise me." He stood up and walked to the door. "My room is right next to yours. Yell if you need anything."  
Damon grunted and Alaric took that as an answer. He said goodnight and left the room.

**AN: I'm suddenly inspired. So, that wasn't the last chapter! You're welcome. Haha! Thanks! Next chapter will be up soon!**


	10. A Rough Night

**AN: I'll hopefully be posting more often now! :D Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. D: If they did, they'd probably hate their lives XD**

Alaric's Point of View

Alaric lay in bed, trying to get some sleep, but having a hard time doing so. He was too busy going over today's previous events. What a hell of a day. He turned to his side and closed his eyes when he heard a moan come from Damon's room, then some obvious moving around. He sighed and pulled off his covers. With his feet over the side of the bed, Alaric rubbed his eyes and stood up. He headed right across the hall and without knocking went into Damon's room where he saw Damon leaning over the side of the bed, with a hand on his stomach.  
Alaric knew what was happening and ran over to Damon's side. Just like when Damon was bitten, he helped hold Damon up and he brought the bin up close to him.  
Damon dry-heaved first for about three minutes. Three minutes of Alaric rubbing Damon's back, trying to make him at least a little bit more comfortable. Alaric was beginning to think that nothing was going to come up at all when Damon coughed and began to vomit. Alaric rubbed Damon's back grimacing. This time seemed more violent than the previous time when Damon was dying. Alaric just continued to rub Damon's back, when finally Damon stopped.  
"Are you finished?" Alaric asked.  
Damon nodded. "For now." He fell back onto the bed and was breathing heavily.  
"I thought we agreed to never go through that again," Alaric joked, sitting next to where Damon was laying on the bed.  
"Apparently my stomach has other plans."  
"Apparently," Alaric agreed. He stood up and went to get some tissues. He handed some to Damon and he wiped his mouth.  
"Just like last time," Damon whispered, apparently worn out.  
Alaric laughed. "Yeah, definitely now having Déjà-Vu." He looked at Damon seriously. "Do you know what made you throw up?"  
Damon shook his head, tiredly. His eyes closed. "I just didn't feel well and the next thing I know I was over the side of my bed."  
"That's not good," Alaric said, a bit unhelpfully. He glanced at Damon who looked like he was going to pass out. "Alright, well I'll let you sleep. For the second time, Alaric said goodnight and left.

12:35am

Alaric was woken up, to the sound of someone getting sick. Instantly he knew it was Damon. Who else could it be? He walked across the hall and into Damon's room.  
"Again? "Alaric asked. "The last one was at what? 11:30?" He went over and placed a hand on Damon's shoulder as he leaned over the bed, throwing up in the bin. When he was finished, Alaric frowned at the bin. "That needs cleaned out. You've filled it up with your own vomit. That is disgusting."  
Damon didn't answer and Alaric sighed and picked up the bin. He went into Damon's bathroom and rinsed it out. When he came back he put it beside the bed again.  
"Feel any better?" Alaric asked Damon who shook his head.  
"Not really."  
Alaric sighed and went over to a chair that was still by Damon's bed from a few nights ago.  
"What are you doing, Ric?" Damon asked quietly.  
"Going to sleep."

2:54

Alaric wasn't the bit surprised when he woke up to the sound of Damon getting sick for the third time. At least he was able to get two hours of sleep this time. He sleepily staggered over to Damon and sat tiredly on the bed next to the vampire.  
"You're killing me you know that?" Alaric muttered. For the third time that night, he rubbed Damon's back in smooth circles as the vampire got sick. Alaric brushed hair out of his face each time it would fall.  
"I have no idea how you're still throwing up," Alaric said softly.  
When Damon was finished, he answered. "You feed me a lot of blood, Ric."  
"I didn't know you were going to throw it all up."  
Damon sighed tiredly. "Neither did I." Alaric looked at Damon sympathetically. Alaric was tired, but Damon must have been completely exhausted. It seemed to take more and more effort for anything to actually come up each time. Sighing, Alaric helped him lay down.

This went on two more times. The second to last was really violent, but the last was still the worst. Nothing came up, and Alaric found himself trying to comfort the vampire who did nothing but dry-heaved for over five minutes.

At about 8:00 in the morning, Alaric glanced at Damon who was completely asleep and went downstairs where the other two were.  
When he got downstairs, Elena looked at him. "You look awful."  
"I didn't sleep very well," Alaric admitted.  
"Did something happen to Damon?" Stefan asked, standing up from the couch.  
"He couldn't stop getting sick last night. He threw up five times last night. Well four if you don't count the fifth time where he just stood over the bin dry-heaving for eight minutes." Alaric sat in a chair that was across the couch. "I have no idea how you guys slept through it. Especially Stefan, with his vampire hearing and all."  
Stefan frowned. "Is he sleeping now?"  
"Yeah, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. He'll more than likely get sick again in thirty minutes."  
"I feel so bad for him," Elena said. "I didn't know it was that bad."  
"His injuries are taking its toll," Stefan said. "There might be an infection from his wounds, causing him to get sick. Or, it's because he never fully healed from being ill last time."  
Alaric shrugged. "I did my best to keep him comfortable, but I don't think it was any good."  
Stefan ran his hands through his hair. "So he more than likely won't be able to keep blood down."  
"I can guarantee he won't be able to. The only reason why he's not throwing up now, is because there is nothing left in his stomach."  
"Without blood he can't heal," Elena cut in. She turned to Stefan. "What are we going to do?"  
Stefan shook his head. "I have no idea. But I'm gone tomorrow morning. We'll have to wait for it to pass like a human with an illness. Hopefully soon his body will be able to take blood again."  
"And if not," Alaric began, "we're in trouble."  
It was then when Alaric realized how serious this could get.

**There. I'm posting this right now, so two chapters posted in like three hours. That is to make up for my lack of posting. XD**


	11. The Lies of Reassurance

**AN: Disclaimer: I would be playing Elena if I owned this. Lucky, lucky girl.**

Alaric's Point of View

It was about 9:30 when Damon woke up. Alaric was upstairs when he heard rustling coming from Damon's room. Expecting the worst, he went inside and quickly rushed to his side.  
"Relax, Ric, I'm not going to throw up."  
Alaric relaxed a little. "Well you can't blame me for expecting you to. That's all you did last night."  
"I slept a little," Damon said mater-of-factly.  
"Do you want to come downstairs?" Alaric asked. "I don't have super vampire smelling, and this room still reeks like vomit."  
Damon wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, it smells awful in here. It's really not helping with my nausea."  
Alaric nodded and helped Damon sit up. "Need me to carry you like I did before?" he asked, only half joking.  
"No," Damon said instantly. "I've lost enough dignity."  
It took a while just to get Damon out of bed and standing. Well… leaning. Alaric was supporting almost all of Damon's weight. "Getting down the stairs will be fun," he muttered.  
Miraculously, they had made it downstairs. He set Damon gently down on the couch. He looked around; noticing Stefan and Elena weren't there. Did Stefan already leave?  
"I'm going to miss you!" he heard Elena crying from the hall and breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't left yet.  
They stepped into the living room and Elena hugged Stefan.  
"I'm not leaving for another few hours, Elena," he said gently, patting her on the back.  
Elena wiped a tear that was running down her face. "It seems a lot sooner." They pulled apart and glanced at Alaric who was looking at them with sadness in his eyes.  
Alaric cleared his throat, feeling awkward.  
Stefan nodded sadly at him, giving him a look that read, 'it's okay'. Then Stefan saw Damon and rushed over to him.  
"Damon!" he said kneeling by the couch. He brushed his brother's hair out of his face. "Looking a little pale," Stefan observed. "How do you feel?"  
Damon smiled. "I think once in your life, you need to stop worrying about me, and start worrying about yourself. I'm not the one who is going to be slaved to Klaus for ten-wait _twelve _years."  
"You're looking a little empty. Lose some pints?"  
"Maybe a little," Damon said.  
Stefan smiled. "What brought you down here?"  
"My room smelled of blood that came out of me, and it was making me feel a little bit nauseous."  
"So you're still not feeling well?" Stefan asked worriedly.  
Damon sighed. "I'll be fine, Stefan."  
Stefan looked back at Alaric and Elena. "Can we be alone for a while?"  
Understanding that they would want some alone time, Alaric left the room with Elena right behind him.

**Stefan's Point of View**

Stefan kneeled beside the couch. "Now how do you really feel? You can tell me, Damon. I'm your brother. We're supposed to be looking after each other."  
Damon sighed. "I can't fully heal without blood, but I can't keep blood down."  
Stefan put his hand on Damon's shoulder, looking worried. "Well have you tried it from the vein?"  
"Of course I haven't, Stefan? Who would I drink? Elena? No. She and I are already in an awkward position and then there's Alaric who I think has done enough for me."  
"Damon, I'm your brother."  
Damon gave Stefan a confused look before apparently understanding. "What? No, I'm not drinking from my own brother."  
Stefan pulled up his sleeve. "We're out of options, Damon. And I have to leave in like two hours! We have to try this while we still can."  
Damon shook his head. "I can't, Stefan. You've done enough on my behalf. Besides, if I can't keep it down it will just do more harm than good."  
"We have to try, Damon!" Stefan yelled. "Because if you can, then your wounds will heal a lot faster and it will make you stronger."  
Damon shook his head again. "Stefan this isn't an option. I'll just-"Stefan stopped listening. He bit into his own wrist, and shoved it into Damon's mouth. Damon's eyes grew wide with surprise, as he tried to break free, but Stefan was stronger than Damon at the time. After a few seconds, Stefan pulled away, not wanting to feed Damon too much at one time.  
Stefan watched Damon, looking for signs of Damon about to get sick, but none came. Stefan's wrist had already begun to heal, so he was forced to bite it again, and put hit up to Damon's mouth. Damon was drinking more confidently, apparently not feeling ill.  
After a while, Damon pulled away from Stefan.  
"Are you feeling sick?" Stefan asked immediately.  
Damon shook his head. "No, I just don't want to drain you."  
"I'll be fine," Stefan reassured him. "After all, Klaus will probably have me drink human blood again."  
Damon was quiet and Stefan saw him looking away, avoiding eye-contact.  
"Hey," Stefan nudged Damon lightly. "I'll be fine."  
"I think you and I have lied to each other enough, saying the same exact thing," Damon pointed out.  
Stefan smiled and nodded. "I know. It's because you and I keep putting ourselves in situations that always makes the other one worry."  
Damon smiled back at his brother. "I don't do it near enough as you do."  
"Who was the one who almost didn't turn into a vampire in the first place?" Stefan asked, not being able to help bring it up. "I almost lost you that day."  
Damon looked at Stefan. "Yeah, and you forced me to drink blood."  
Stefan looked away. "I shouldn't have done that."  
Damon grabbed Stefan's shoulder, and weakly turned his brother to look at him. "I would have done the same, Stefan. Really I would have. I know I have said I wouldn't, but I probably would have. You weren't even an adult. Just a seventeen-year-old who had no idea what to do. You needed someone, Stefan, and since our father was out of the question, you went to the next best thing. I don't blame you for me being a vampire. And honestly, I'm glad you did it. Because if you hadn't I wouldn't be here right now. You wanted to save me, and you did."  
Stefan looked at Damon for a long time. It was silent for a moment, before Stefan kneeled down to Damon's level. And for the first time in a long time, the two brother's hugged.

**That was for Child of the Night13 who had requested some Salvatore moments. Thanks! Hope you liked it! Thanks to Wicked R- and yes, Alaric is king. Haha. But then who is queen? Hmm… Thanks to some guest reviewers and to the one about the blood, you no know why Damon hasn't drunken from Alaric. The vampire has some morals! I'm doing the best I can with updating, I promise you guys that. I do-believe it or not-have a life. Wait…never mind I don't. I just keep forgetting to update! Sorry! Let's just hope that this is done before the world ends! Probably not. Guess you'll all have to live with the cliffhanger. ;)**


	12. Getting You Through This

**AN: Hope that last chapter had some good brotherly love. We all love Damon and Stefan's relationship! Disclaimer: If I owned this, these characters would never have existed because I probably wouldn't have been able to come up with them! So we all owe L.J Smith a big thank you whether you like the books or not. The T.V show wouldn't have existed without them. We all love you!**

Damon's Point of View

Damon didn't know what had caused him to hug his brother back. As macho as he wanted to be at that moment, it felt right. It had been forever since the two had interacted like that.  
When they pulled apart, something felt different. Damon realized it must have been the fact that for the first time in a long time, they actually felt like brothers.  
Alaric and Elena came back into the room and it was awkwardly silent.  
"You're looking a bit stronger," Alaric observed. Then his eyes fell on the wound on Stefan's wrist that was still healing and he fell silent again.  
"Well what's the plan?" Elena asked.  
Thankful that the subject was changed, Damon answered instantly. "We'll figure something out."  
"We've got to get Stefan out of this somehow," Alaric said.  
Suddenly, Stefan stood up from where he was kneeling. "What? No! You guys are _not _planning on breaking me out. Didn't you hear what Katherine said?" he turned to face Damon. "You will _die._"  
Damon shook his head. "No because luckily I'm smart enough to find my way around things."  
Elena looked at him. "What are you planning?" she asked suspiciously.  
"Did you guys not see the loop hole in this?" Damon asked, sitting up and leaning against the back of the couch.  
"What are you talking about, Damon?" Alaric asked. "There is no loop hole."  
"Oh, come on. I wasn't even there when you two talked to Katherine and I see it. What did she tell you two?"  
"She told us that if we went searching for Stefan that she'd kill you," Elena explained shaking her head. "Damon I don't see where you're going with this."  
"Quote he exact words," Damon told her.  
Elena looked at Alaric, who shrugged. "I don't remember exactly but it was something like, 'if you stop playing hide-and-seek, then you get Damon."  
"Yeah, and when Katherine said 'you' who did she mean?"  
"Me and Alaric," Elena answered, still looking confusesd.  
"Exactly! You and _Alaric_. If you and Ric go, I die."  
Alaric looked up, apparently understanding. "Well who else do you suggest go then?"  
Damon raised his eyebrows. "I'm not going to be weakened forever, Ric."  
"I can't believe this!" Stefan hissed, startling everyone. "No one is doing this for me."  
"I don't know, Stefan," Damon started. "I'd day I owed it to you." He used the same words Stefan had been saying to him to mock his younger brother.  
Stefan shook his head. "I can't let this happen."  
"Well it's three against one, Stefan. I'm sorry, brother, you're over-ruled."  
Alaric stepped forward. "I'm in on one condition."  
"And what might that be?" Damon asked, trying to hide his annoyance.  
"You take someone with you."  
Damon raised his eyebrows. "Who would go with me?" he pointed out. "In case you've forgotten, I'm not on nice terms with any of your guys' friends. Wicked Witch of the West I think is still crying in a corner because I didn't die from the bite, and Blondie is probably next to her, hugging and comforting her plotting my death."  
No one said anything, because Damon knew he got them there. He hadn't exactly been making friends the day he came back to Mystic Falls. The only people who still remotely liked him were Elena-it was a kind of like/hate relationship. They had their fair share of pissing off one another. But she couldn't go rescue Stefan. Alaric-who he considered his best and only actual friend. The two of them had been off and on ever since they met, but they really did care for each other. But he couldn't go with him either. And finally, there was Stefan. They were brothers. Born to love each other, and for a while, that's all Stefan was to Damon. The guy he was supposed to love. But it became so much more after awhile. They have been through so much together, and it took Damon this long to realize he needed his brother almost as much as Stefan needed him. But Stefan was the one who was in need of help.  
"Well there's not a single person that would be willing to go with you to help Stefan?" Alaric asked.  
"Oh, there's a bunch of people who would be willing to go with me to save Stefan. My only concern is being accidently pushed off a cliff or accidently drowned in the process."  
"Caroline wouldn't," Elena spoke up. "And neither would Bonnie. They're good enough friends of mine to not try to kill you."  
Damon sighed. "What about that time where Bonnie set me on fire?" Damon pointed out. "You begged her to stop and the only reason she did, is because you broke her focus by grabbing her."  
"Fine, then. Caroline will go with you and Bonnie to stop Bonnie from killing you," Elena said.  
"And what makes you think Barbie will want to stop it?" Damon asked.  
"She feels guilty," Elena explained sadly. "She called me and was in tears and said that this was all happening because of her."  
Damon sighed. "Fine, I'll go with Bonnie and Caroline. But if I end up dead, you know who to call the cops on."  
Stefan stared at everyone. "I can't let any of you do this."  
"Give me one good reason why we you shouldn't," Damon said. When Stefan hesitated, Damon raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, I thought so."  
"Damon-"Stefan stopped when a loud, non-stop beeping noise was coming from Stefan. It didn't take Damon long to realize that it was Stefan's watch.  
"Time's up," Stefan whispered. "I have to go."  
Everyone was silent for a while when Elena ran into Stefan's arms. They hugged for awhile. And when they pulled apart Elena wiped a tear from her eyes. "I won't stop thinking about you, Stefan. But don't worry, Damon will talk to Bonnie and Caroline and we'll get you out of this.  
Stefan nodded and hugged Elena again. When they broke apart for the final time, Stefan approached glanced at Alaric, who nodded.  
"I hope to see you soon," Alaric said. Damon could sense the awkwardness in the air. Both Alaric and Stefan never really were close.  
Stefan nodded in acknowledgement to what Alaric had said. Then Damon watched as Stefan's sad eyes fell on him. But Damon saw more than sadness in his younger brother's eyes. He saw fear. Stefan was scared, and Damon didn't blame him.  
Damon beckoned Stefan to come with a turn of his head, and Stefan obeyed, moving closer to his brother.  
"You don't have to do this for me," Stefan whispered.  
"No your right, Stefan I don't. No one is holding a stake to my chest. But maybe I want to."  
Stefan was scared, and Damon suddenly got protective over his younger brother. He wrapped Stefan in his arms, and Stefan gently put his arms around Damon, making sure not to cause harm to his sore body.  
Damon sighed and whispered in Stefan's ear. "I'm going to make sure Klaus doesn't hurt you, okay?"  
Stefan nodded. "Okay," he whispered back at Damon.  
"You're my brother, and I will make sure you get through this." Stefan just nodded his response again, and stood up.  
"I wish I could tell you where we'll be, but I'm meeting Klaus at the cave and then we're leaving right after that. Klaus is too smart to tell me where we're going."  
Damon nodded. "I'll find you."  
Stefan turned around and looked at his older brother. "You have to promise you won't come near me or Klaus before you've regained his strength.  
Damon hesitated then nodded. "Fine. Now get out of here before Klaus kills you."  
Stefan smiled again. He glanced back at Elena. "I'll be okay," he whispered.  
Elena nodded, her mouth formed into a thin, tight line. With one last glance, Stefan left.

**I'm done! And you all are probably plotting my death. Okay, so how many times have I lied to you about how many chapters there will be? Like 20 times? Alright, sorry. As you can see, this probably won't be the last chapter… Whoops. :P Uh… Sorry. Really. I thought it would be over and I could just move on with my life, but it didn't really turn out that way. I was actually angry with myself so I stopped writing this for like a week. *Clears throat* Alright, I'll just be honest, I forgot about it. Alright that was a lie, I remembered but I just have the time… *smiles guiltily* OKAY THAT WAS A LIE TOO! THE HONEST, SAD TRUTH IS THAT I WAS BUSY ON FACEBOOK AND DOING OTHER USELESS THINGS WITH MY LIFE! I KEPT WANTING TO WRITE THIS BUT I DIDN'T! HAPPY? Ha-ha. There's the sad, sad truth. But, I'm publishing now? Does that make it okay? Probably not. **


	13. This Totally isn't an Author's Note

I'm sorry, guys, I hate making an author's note chapter almost as much as you hate reading them. Ha-ha, you guys probably absolutely hate me right now but my last chapter was done like an entire day before I posted It :P I spaced. So, I'm sorry guys, I am honestly stuck. I don't know how the hell Damon is going to pull Stefan out of this. So, yes, it might be a while before the next chapter. Today, I was lying awake in bed for literally and hour and half just trying to figure this out. Stefan really needs to pull himself together and stop making Damon save his life. UGH! So, any advice is excepted at this point :P  
~Fangurl000


	14. Another AN (VERY VERY IMPORTANT) VERY

**I'm SO sorry, guys. I might quit this. I have NO more inspiration or ideas. I absolutely HATE doing this, I really do. I don't want to quit it, but I really don't know what to do. You'll see more from me, don't worry. And I might come back to this story. So, it might not be good-bye yet.  
~Fangurl000**


	15. Wicked Witch of the West

**AN: Bet you're getting tired of seeing that, huh? Ha-ha, but I also bet you're glad to see a REAL CHAPTER NAME! That's right people, this is an actual chapter! OH MY GOODNESS! I am actually really surprised that I'm writing this. It's been what? Month and a half? I've for one, have officially lost count. Thanks so much to a guest user. These are all his/hers ideas. Let us see if I can make it work. **** Oh, and I posted another fic and THE FORMAT WORKED! Let's see if we can get a good format with this chapter. Disclaimer: I'm running out of things to say for these. Uh…Damon isn't mine, and if he was, I would be in the story, and I would be his lover. And I would have made it so vampires could have babies, so we could have little mini vampires. :D …. Okay that was a really disturbing disclaimer. Moving on.**

Alaric's Point of View

Alaric watched Damon sink back down into the couch as soon as Stefan left. Elena had gone upstairs to Stefan's room, so he turned to him. "What's wrong?" he whispered. "You look terrible."

"I had to make sure Stefan would leave," Damon explained. "I had to make it look like I was getting a lot stronger before he did something stupid again."

"So you lied to him?" Alaric asked.

"He wouldn't have left if I didn't."

Alaric shook his head. "I'll give you props for your acting, that's for sure. Do you feel any better than you did yesterday?"

"I don't think it would have been possible to feel any worse," Damon pointed out. "But yeah, there is an improvement. Just not as big as one as everyone had thought."

"I'm going to kill you myself," Alaric muttered.

"Sort of defeats the purpose doesn't it?" Damon smiled.

"I'm calling Bonnie," Alaric decided. "You're not getting any better."

Damon shook his head. "That's unnecessary."

"Is it?" Alaric asked. "We need a witch's help. I don't know what to do, Elena is still devastated over Stefan-not that she would be able to do anything anyways and you don't seem to have any ideas either. Besides, once you do finally regain your strength, you're taking her and Caroline to go get Stefan."

Damon sighed, which turned into a cough. "Fine," he agreed. "Go call Wicked Witch of the West."

Alaric was about to turn and leave to get his cell-phone, when Damon called after him.

"And, Ric, I'm going to be fine. Make sure Elena knows that. No one needs to get freaked out over this. And if Bonnie can't find out what's wrong with me, you and I can figure something out, okay?"

Alaric nodded. "Okay."

_**Line break ….**_

"Hello?" Bonnie answered her phone, sounding confused. Alaric had given her his number in case, but he had never called her before. He can only imagine how confused she must be that her history teacher is calling her cell-phone.

"Bonnie it's me," Alaric said stupidly. _Obviously, it's me. I just went over this in my head._

"Yeah…" Bonnie trailed off. "Am I in trouble or something?"

Alaric almost laughed, but the scenario prevented him from doing so. "Look, we need your help." He made sure to use "we" instead of "Damon" knowing that the witch wasn't too fond of the vampire.

"Help with what?" Bonnie asked, sounding curious, the awkwardness leaving her voice.

"Damon got hurt and is sick and won't heal," he said hesitantly. "Now before you say anything, this isn't just for him. It's for Elena and Stefan too."

Bonnie was silent. "You're going to have to start from the beginning," she said after a while. "I need to know what exactly happened."

"Bring Caroline over to the boarding house and I'll explain everything then."

_**Another line break (too lazy to write "TVD" over and over again…**_

There was a knock at the door about forty-five minutes after Alaric had ended the call with Bonnie. Standing up from where he was kneeling beside a sleeping Damon, he headed over to the door and opened it. Bonnie had three books in her hand and other witchy looking items that he couldn't identify and Caroline was standing next to her with a very confused look on her face.

"Thanks for coming," Alaric said.

"Wasn't much of a choice after you brought Elena into it," Bonnie said. She set down all her things on a table in the hall and without taking her eyes off Damon she asked Alaric, "alright, now explain."

Alaric hesitated, not exactly sure where to start. "Okay, I'm not sure how much Elena told you."

"We know that Stefan is with Klaus because he traded himself in for a cure for Damon's bite," Bonnie explained.

Alaric nodded. "About ten hours after he got cured, Damon got kidnapped. He was still weak from the bite which is probably why it affected him as much as it did. But he got taken to a cave where Stefan was, only it wasn't Stefan. Klaus had fed him human blood so he wasn't himself. He tortured Damon until Elena and I came and got him and ever since he's been sick and weak. Stefan was able to come for a couple of days, but he wasn't sure of what to do either."

"Have you tried blood?" Caroline asked, making Alaric to frown at her.

"Of course, we have," Alaric said, almost insulted. "When he can keep it down, it still doesn't seem to be helping as much as it should be."

Bonnie furrowed her brows and moved closer to Damon. "That doesn't make any sense," she muttered. "I'll check in the books I brought and see if anything is in there."

"Thanks," Alaric said.

"I'm doing this for Elena," she said sharply.

Alaric nodded, and let her do what she needed to. He glanced at Caroline who was staring at Damon. "I can't imagine how Elena must be feeling right now. Where is she."

"She's upstairs," he explained. "Stefan's bedroom I think."

Bonnie lifted her head from a book. "Elena's here?"

"I'm going to go talk to her," Caroline said. "She needs a friend right now. I can't even imagine losing a boyfriend twice in such a short amount of time."

"That's probably a good idea," Alaric agreed. He watched Caroline go up the stairs. Sighing, he walked over to Bonnie to help her.

**Caroline's Point of View**

Caroline knocked on Stefan's bedroom door gently.

"Go away, Alaric," Elena said. Her voice was hoarse and it was obvious she had been crying.

"Elena, it's me," Caroline said through the door.

"I don't really want to talk to anyone."

Caroline sighed. "Alaric told Bonnie and I what happened. Will you please just open up so I can talk to you?"

There was the sound of bed sheets ruffling and floor boards creaking when finally the door opened. Caroline's heart dropped when she saw the redness in Elena's eyes and her messed up hair. Immediately, she pulled her best friend into a hug.

"Elena," she said gently. "You're a mess."

Elena ignored what she had said and changed the subject. "Bonnie is here?"

"Yeah, she's downstairs with Damon trying to figure out what's wrong with him."

Elena furrowed her brows. "Is that really necessary? I mean the blood helped him. He should be on his feet in no time."

It was Caroline's turn to be confused. "What do you mean?" she asked. "Alaric just told us the blood wasn't working. Elena, I was just down there, Damon looks awful. Alaric said he wasn't healing properly."

Elena didn't say anything. She just stared at Caroline with a blank expression on her face.

"Elena, what's going on?" Caroline asked her.

"That's what I want to know."

**Oh my goodness that felt great. I am posting another chapter! AN ACTUAL CHAPTER! Wait, haven't we been over this? XD But thanks so much guest user. You've officially given me my inspiration back. Feels so good to be posting a chapter again.**


	16. More Questions Than Answers

**AN: Another chapter is coming! Hope you guys don't mind, but it's going to be a LONG story. :P Disclaimer: Uh….Why do we even write something after we say disclaimer? It says it right there. Dis. Claimer. How hard is that?**

Alaric's Point of View

"I'm not finding anything are you?" Alaric asked, turning to Bonnie.

"I'm working on it," Bonnie said. We still haven't gone through-"

"Alaric!"

Alaric jumped at the sound of an angry Elena calling his name. Quickly he ran over to her.

"Keep it down, Damon's sleeping. He hasn't been getting a lot of rest lately. Especially after that long night he and I had."

"Did Damon lie to us?" Elena asked. He voice was now an angry whisper. "I was told the blood was making him stronger, but according to you, it hasn't been."

"I'm sorry, Elena. But Damon did what he had to. He had to make sure Stefan would leave when he needed to."

Elena ran her hands through her hair. "I can't believe this."

"I'm sorry Elena," he said. "I know you're having a hard time right now, but I promise you, Bonnie and I are looking for something. We might be able to find out what's wrong with him and finally get him back on his feet."

"Speaking of which, I think I found something," Bonnie called out. Alaric rushed over to her followed by Elena. Bonnie was holding a book and tapped the page with her finger.

"What's it say?" Elena asked.

"Something about human blood not carrying enough power to heal a really injured vampire," Bonnie explained.

"So what can heal them?" Caroline asked.

"A different type of blood," Bonnie explained. Her eyes fell one Caroline. "Vampire blood."

"That does make sense," Alaric said. "After Damon drank from Stefan, it seemed as if a small amount of strength had come back to him."

Caroline took off her jacket. "I'm willing," but quickly added, "for Elena and Stefan."

Bonnie shook her head. "It's not that simple." The amount of blood it requires is unbelievable. We would have to drain an entire vampire dry."

"Yeah, that is a problem," Alaric said nodding. "We'll have to find someone else."

"How?" Bonnie asked. "Going up to every person you see and asking them if they're a vampire?"

"I'm a vampire hunter," Alaric pointed out. "I'll find one."

"Leave it to Caroline and me," Bonnie said. "You have my number, we can keep in touch. But Damon needs friends here to help him through this."

"If worst comes to worst, we could always turn someone…" Elena said quietly.

Bonnie looked at Elena in surprise. "You can't be serious."

"Just throwing ideas out there Bonnie," she said. "You're the one who was just saying how hard it would be to find another vampire."

Bonnie shook her head. "Let's just hope it doesn't come down to that."

**Alaric's Point of View**

Alaric sat on a chair that was across the couch and held his head in his hands. He knew that Damon needed people (that liked him) here but also, Bonnie and Caroline were completely unsure of where to find a vampire. They had agreed to turn someone if it really came down to it.

"What do we do now?" Elena asked.

"You need to get some rest Elena," Alaric said gently. "You've had a really long day. Don't worry, if anything changes, I'll make sure to let you know straight away."

Elena nodded and headed upstairs, leaving Alaric alone with Damon. He sighed and glanced at his sleeping friend. His black hair was damp with sweat and stuck to his forehead. Alaric got up and kneeled beside the couch and put his hand on Damon's forehead. It was a little too warm and it made Alaric worry. He stood up and got a wash cloth from the kitchen and ran it under the faucet. He then headed back into the living room and wiped Damon's forehead with the cold, damp cloth.

"Ric?" Damon's eyes opened and Alaric saw that they were glazed with fever.

"Hey," Alaric said gently. "Sorry, I woke you. I have to get your fever down though."

Damon nodded. "I heard Bonnie's voice earlier today before I fell asleep again. Did her and Blondie figure out what the hell is wrong with me?"

"Yeah, Damon you need vampire blood to heal," Alaric explained. "Apparently it holds more power and it's used when a vampire is badly injured or sick."

Damon gave him a confused look. "But I drank Stefan-"

"Wasn't enough. We're going to have to drain a vampire completely dry. It requires so much of it."

Damon sighed. "That's a problem."

"We'll figure it out," Alaric promised. Damon nodded and closed his eyes.

Alaric ran the wash cloth across his forehead again. "Just get some rest, okay?"

But Damon had already fallen asleep.

**Stefan's Point of View**

"Okay, this doesn't make any sense," Caroline complained. "How the hell are we supposed to find a vampire?"

"Just keep reminding yourself of Elena," Bonnie said, which Caroline wasn't sure if she was talking to herself or not.

"Of course it's for Elena," Caroline answered anyway. "But even so, I might still do this."

Bonnie stopped walking and stared at Caroline. "What?"

"Oh don't give me that look, Bonnie. I don't necessarily like Damon, but I wouldn't just let him die."

Bonnie scoffed and kept walking.

"Oh, come on, Bonnie. So if Damon had a stake up to his heart and you got to chose if he lived or died, you would choose him dying?" Bonnie didn't answer so Caroline kept going. "Because I know that's not the type of person you are."

"What had Damon done for me?" Bonnie asked. "Besides making my life a living hell, I mean."

"He saved my life," Caroline said, making Bonnie stop again. "If it weren't for Damon, I would be dead right now. Tyler came after Matt and I, remember? He jumped in the way. It should be me that got bitten. I should be the dying one, but because of Damon, I'm not. That has to count for something."

Bonnie just stared at Caroline.


	17. Straight Through

**AN: Sorry there was a mistake in my last chapter. It said Stefan's Point of View when it should have said Caroline. My apologies I don't know what was going through my head :P Thanks so much to Undying Love13 for the beautiful review. I'm so glad you were pumped for this. She absolutely loves vampires, so if you're into the other vamp shows, go check out her profile. She's written eleven stories for a few which include: Twilight, Vampire Diaries, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the Vampire Diaries book series. Go check out her profile. Also, LauraSalvatore reviewed too. Thanks! And yes, yes she is. Delena4Nian50 once again reviewed. Thanks for your support! She has written 9 stories for Supernatural and Tangled which are both terrific shows/movies. Disclaimer: I think I spend more time thinking about disclaimers than I do the story plot… TVD isn't mine. The Salvatore brothers would have found a girl that deserved them if I did. Sorry, Elena.**

Alaric's Point of View

"Damon!" Alaric gently shook the vampire. "Wake up!"

Nothing.

About five minutes ago, Damon had woken up and told Alaric that he felt dizzy. Without warning, he just passed out. He hadn't woken up since. Alaric had assumed that it could have been due to the fever but he couldn't be sure.

Alaric jumped with a start when his phone rang. He pulled it out and checked caller's ID: Bonnie. He opened it. "Bonnie?"

"Alaric Caroline and I are stuck," Bonnie said.

"Stuck where?" Alaric asked.

"Not physically," Bonnie said with a touch of irritation. "I mean we're getting nowhere with this. I've officially run out of ideas. I don't know how I ever expected to just find a vampire."

Alaric pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "I don't know, Bonnie. I really don't."

"Is everything okay, there?" Bonnie asked. "Something seems off. I'm a witch I can sense these things."

"Damon is completely out. I can't wake him up. Not really sure where to go from here. I don't know if it's because of the fever or if we're just running out of time." Alaric waited for a response but there was none. Instead he heard Caroline's voice, but couldn't make out what she was saying. He then heard a sharp, "we can't do that, Caroline," from Bonnie.

"Bonnie?" Alaric asked.

A distressed and agitated voice answered him. "She wants to turn someone."

Alaric thought about it. Could he live with doing this to someone? Could he destroy another life to save his friend? _I wouldn't be destroying it, _Alaric reminded himself. _I would be taking it. _He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and focusing them on Damon's unconscious body.

**Damon's Point of View**

Damon sat up and blinked. His eyes weren't quite used to the light. _How long have I been out?_ When his eyes finally became more focused, his heart dropped. He wasn't in the living room. He wasn't even in the Salvatore Boarding House. "What the hell…" he muttered to himself.

"You're pathetic!"

The accent filled voice was recognizable anywhere. _Klaus! What am I doing with Klaus? Did I get kidnapped again? _

"Wanting to save my family is pathetic?" It was an even more familiar voice. His own brother's. "I guess to you it is because every time you fight with any of your family members, someone ends up with a dagger in their heart."

Damon stood up hesitantly, surprised he could. In fact, he felt strong. He felt absolutely normal as if he had never gotten bit by Tyler or kidnapped by Klaus a first time. He turned around and was just ten feet away from Klaus and Stefan. The room they were in was small, but they still had space.

Klaus laughed. "Like you and Damon haven't ever tried to kill each other."

"That's none of your business," Stefan said, his voice dangerous.

Damon stood there confused. They obviously haven't noticed him yet, and if they did, they didn't care.

Klaus pulled out a stake. "Everything that goes on in your life is now my business." He raised the stake.

"STEFAN!" Damon yelled. But no one showed any reaction to his yells. Klaus just jammed the stake into Stefan's side, making his double-over. Seeing what was going to happen, Damon used his vampire speed to reach his brother before he fell to the ground, but even though Damon's arms were right there, Stefan's back still hit the floor.

"Told you," Klaus laughed. "Pathetic!"

Damon was too shocked to pay attention to Klaus or to his bleeding brother. Stefan had just gone straight through him! Shaking his head Damon backed away. "What the..." He walked over to where Stefan was lying on the ground and looked him straight into his eyes. Stefan's head was turned toward Damon, but his eyes seemed as though he were…looking _through _him. As if he weren't even there.

"Stefan!" Damon yelled only to receive no answer. He touched his brother's arm, except his own hand just went straight through it. Damon's eyes widened and he backed away, staggering in complete confusion and shock.

_Am I dead?_

**Alaric's Point of View**

"I don't know what to say," he said into the phone.

"It's your choice to make," Bonnie said. "I'd rather not be responsible for someone dying."

Alaric hadn't taken his eyes off Damon. "To take another life away…"

"Is completely awful," Bonnie finished. "None of us need an innocent human's death on our hands. Damon's lived his life. Perhaps it's time he moved on."

"Do you really think Elena could take that, though?" Alaric asked her. "Stefan and Damon?"

"Maybe it's for the best," Bonnie said. "Is it necessarily a bad thing that if Stefan and Damon are gone, all vampires will be out of her life?"

"Hey, what am I?" Alaric heard Caroline's offended tone in the background. "Garbage?"

"Okay, besides you," Bonnie said. "But honestly, you're not much of a vampire."

"I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or an insult-"

"Can we focus here?" Alaric asked, interrupting the two bickering girls. "We are running out of time."

"Well you still haven't given us an answer," Bonnie said defensively.

Alaric swallowed and looked at Damon again. Then his gaze went to the stairs. He thought about Elena and Stefan.

"Alright," Alaric said. "We do it."

**BUM BUM BUUUMMM  
**


	18. Our Who

**AN: YAY, CHAPTER EIGHTEEN! I have so many reviewers to thank, but first I must apologize for taking so long. I've been writing other things, so I've kind of been coming back and forth from like five stories-one of which is my own novel. Thanks for your patience, guys. Thanks to a LOT of guest reviewers (unless they are all the same person) but anyway, those reviews were so sweet. And thanks to Undying Love13 (I sent you a private message about one of your stories which you need to continue) for your concern for Damon. You'll either find out in this chapter or the next. I don't remember these things. Disclaimer: It is probably a good thing I don't own TVD…'Nuff said.**

Alaric's Point of View

Alaric was gently brushing back sweaty, black clumps of hair from Damon's eyes. His conversation with Bonnie had not gone well. She had said that her help ended here and she wanted nothing more to do with Damon. Alaric got it, he really did. But did Bonnie honestly expect him to not take the chance to save his best friend? Bonnie would do it for Elena any day whether she knew it or not. Caroline was on her way. She had agreed to help Alaric turn someone. After all, she was the only available vampire he knew that was actually willing to do this.

"ALARIC!"

Alaric jumped and spun around to see a frustrated looking Caroline standing in the entrance of the living room with her hands on her hips.

"Caroline," Alaric began, catching his breath. "When did you get here?"

"Well I've been outside for the past three minutes knocking on the door waiting for you to freakin' answer it! Then I got a little freaked out because no one was opening the door and I thought maybe you were passed out drunk or something."

Alaric raised his eyebrows. "I don't answer the door, and you automatically think I'm drunk?"

"Sounds about right to me," she said."

Alaric sighed. "Well I'm not drunk," he told her. "I was just lost in thought I guess."

Caroline's expression softened. "So is he still like out of it?" Caroline asked looking at Damon.

"Yeah," Alaric said sighing and kneeling next to his ill friend.

"Is he…" Caroline trailed off.

"Dead?" Alaric asked looking at her. She nodded. "No, he's not."

Caroline nodded. "Okay, good."

Alaric looked at her in surprise. "So do you actually care? Or is it because you know Elena-"

"It's not just Elena," Caroline interrupted. "Damon saved my life and I don't care what Bonnie says, that shows me that there's some good in him. He jumped right in front of Tyler to protect me and Matt. That's something I will never forget."

Alaric stood up. "We should get going then. We don't have much time. Now are you sure you can do this?"

"What? Change some innocent person into a vampire and then kill them?" Caroline asked. Then she frowned. "Okay, that could've been worded better… Anyway, yes I can. I will do this for Damon, Elena, Stefan and you."

Alaric smiled. "Thanks Caroline."

**Damon's Point of View**

"Is that really the best you can do?" Stefan taunted, laying on the ground with a new stake wound in his abdomen.

"Yes as a matter of fact it is because any worse and you'll be dead," Klaus pointed out. "I need to see how much you can take-what it will take to make you crack. How much you can go through physically and emotionally."

"Why?" Stefan and Damon asked at the exact same time although Klaus didn't hear Damon.

"I need to see what my little helper can do," Klaus mocked Stefan.

"Oh shut up," Damon hissed only to be left unheard again.

"I guess I don't really need to test you emotionally as much," Klaus smiled. "I already heard about how you handled Damon."

"What are you talking about?" Stefan asked, still on the ground.

"So calmly," Klaus continued. "Your own brother was dying and you didn't seem to care at all. What did you do other than lock him in a cellar?"

Damon felt like stabbing Klaus in the eye. He probably would have if he could. Stefan just looked away from Klaus' eyes and Damon shook his head. "You did help me, Stefan. Don't let him tell you otherwise."

Damon backed away from the other vampires and headed to the door of the room he was in. For the first time since arrival, he actually got a good look at where he was. It almost looked like a barn, except it was a little bit bigger and there was a second floor. There wasn't really anything inside except for a few wooden crates and barrels. He figured he was in a shack of some sort. He walked toward the door and stopped. His brows furrowed, he reached for the door handle not at all surprised when his hand just went through it. Shaking his head he knew what to do. Drawing in a breath, he walked straight through the door.

**Alaric's Point of View**

"Question is who," Alaric muttered to Caroline.

"That is a good question," she agreed. They were at the bar section of the Grill watching as people walked by living their lives. For one person, it was the last time they would do so.

"People die every day," Alaric said. "It happens."

Caroline swallowed next to him. "Yeah it does. But I'd never thought I'd end up being the cause of someone's death because I murdered them with the help of my history teacher."

Alaric laughed. "I never thought I would help any of my students commit murder."

"This is weird," Caroline said, shaking her head. "I've killed before, but it still feels weird."

"We just have to choose the right person," Alaric said. "We need to choose someone who isn't entirely innocent. That's why we're at a bar."

"Innocent or guilty, no one deserves to get turned into a vampire, then completely slaughtered."

Alaric nodded. "You got me there."

"Wait!" Caroline hissed under her breath. She tucked her hair behind her ear and put her finger to her lips.

Alaric waited unsure of what was happening, when Caroline bolted out the bar. "Caroline!" He yelled running after her.

He ran out of the Grille and saw Caroline pressed up against the front of the building. Her eyes were on a couple that was arguing down the street.

"You always do this to me!" The woman was yelling. Her heels smacking against the pavement as she tried to walk away from the man.

The man grabbed her arm tightly and she yelled in pain. "You listen to me," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "I told you what happens when you walk away from me."

"You're drunk, Brad," her voice shook with fear and tears. She tried to pull her arm away but his grip was too strong. "GET OFF OF ME!" she yelled. "Somebody hel-"her call for help was shortened when the back of his hand struck her face.

"Shut up!" he ordered. "Now, you're coming to my place, and we're going to have some fun, okay?"

"Hey!" Caroline yelled before the woman could reply. The man named Brad looked up and smiled at Caroline.

"You really shouldn't get into this, babe."

"Alaric!" Caroline yelled. Alaric stepped next to Caroline. "Alaric, I think I found our who."


	19. The Kill

**AN: It's been a while, I know! Sorry, guys! I've been working on a 100 Fanfic challenge and have already gotten four done! 96 left! AHHHHH! XD So anyway last thing you guys read was Alaric and Caroline finding "Their who" Wow. I really need more creative chapter names. :P  
Disclaimer: Do I actually need to say that I don't own this in every chapter, or if I say it once, will I be good? I'd rather not take the chance.**

Oh and sorry about the posting trouble. I posted the wrong one because I'm tired and I messed up. :P Sorry about it.

Alaric's Point of View

Alaric stood next to Caroline and they both faced the couple.

"I told little Blondie here to back the hell off," the man warned. "Take your babe home and just leave us to our business."

"Sorry, but no," Alaric told the man. "We can't just walk away."

The man took a step toward them and stood in front of Caroline. "You could always trade places with my girl." He brushed a lock of Caroline's hair from her face, and began to stroke her cheek.

That set Caroline off. She grabbed the man's arm and threw him to the ground, stomping on his chest. Alaric watched the man cough as the wind got knocked out of him.

Caroline bit her wrist and put it up to man's mouth making the mystery girlfriend scream.

"What the hell are you doing?" she asked, her voice shaking. "Why-why are you making him drink your blood? Is this some sort of sick fetish? Why-"

Alaric walked over to her and covered her mouth with his hand. "Sorry," he apologized. "I just can't have you bringing attention to us." His attention went back to Caroline. "Make it quick." With his free hand, he tossed her a knife, and Caroline caught it.

The man was starting to get up but Caroline pushed him back down onto the pavement with her foot making him groan in pain. Taking the knife, Caroline stabbed his chest over and over again until he was completely still.

Alaric couldn't stifle the woman's loud scream.

"WHAT THE HELL? I WAS JUST GOING TO CALL THE COPS! YOU MURDERED HIM!" She cried after she had freed herself from Alaric's grasp.

"SH!" Alaric hushed her. "It was for the best, okay?"

"The best! You all are murderous freaks! I'm calling the cops! You'll both be charged and-"

Caroline ran over to her and grabbed her arm, keeping her in place. Locking eyes with her, she said, "You did not just see what just happened, okay? You never knew the man that we just killed. You will forget everything he has ever done to you. You will never have to be haunted by the abuse you had to go through. You will look for love and once you do, it will be someone who treats you right-who deserves you. They will love you for you, not just your body. Now go home, get some rest. Eat something." She released the woman's arm and without even looking at the dead, bleeding body, she walked away.

"He'll be a vampire soon," Alaric said. "Let's bring him back to the Boarding House and wait for him to turn there. We can't stay in the street any longer.

It was difficult, but with Caroline's vampire strength, they had finally reached the Salvatore Home with the dead man in tow.

"What did this mean eat?" Caroline grunted, dragging him into the living room. She laid him down on the floor with a heavy sigh. "Okay, when he wakes up-"

"I'll give him some blood," Alaric finished for her. "Then we'll try to see if Bon-"

"RIC?" Alaric turned around hearing Elena's voice. She came down the stairs smiling. "I thought I heard Caroline's voice." Her expression suddenly changed and she screamed.

"It's not what it looks like," Alaric promised, running over to Elena.

"It looks like there's a man bleeding all over the middle of the floor!" Elena screamed. She ran past Alaric to the man and checked his pulse. Her hand slowly came off his neck and she looked at Alaric. "He's dead."

Alaric nodded. "I know."

"Did you try to save him?" Elena asked, her voice going frantic. Then her voice lowered into a soft whisper. "Or did you-"

"I did," Caroline stepped in.

Elena looked at Caroline in horror. "You killed him?"

"She had help," Alaric defended Caroline. "But you have to understand, we had to."

"Just please let us explain, Elena," Caroline begged looking at her friend. "You know I wouldn't unless I had to."

Elena looked back and forth between the two. "Explain then."

Alaric took a deep breath. "Damon's dying, Elena."

"Look I know he's really hurt, but-"Elena didn't finish her stammering because Alaric interrupted her.

"It's worse than we all thought," Alaric explained sadly.

**Elena's Point of View**

Elena watched as Alaric took in a deep breath. Then all too familiar words escaped her guardian's mouth. "Damon's dying, Elena."

Elena froze for a couple of seconds. She thought about when she heard those words before when Damon was in the basement and she had slapped Alaric trying to get answers from him. It had been Damon who told her. "I'm dying, Elena." **(AN: I promise you this is the only time I'll do this in the middle of the chapter. This is important though and some don't read the ones at the top or bottom. This is completely inaccurate toward the episode, I realize. But as I have told you, this is kind of like a sequel to a previous fic. For those who didn't read it, thought you should know that the line you just read, is from that.)**

"Look I know he's really hurt, but-" Elena didn't finish her stammering.

"It's worse than we all thought." Alaric explained sadly.

Elena swallowed hard and nodded. "So he needed blood." She couldn't help but move her gaze back on the body. But now that she knew what was going on, it didn't seem so horrible anymore. She knew that was an awful thing to think, but that was the last thing on her mind.

"Well….yes, technically, Damon needed blood and that is what the body is for but…" Alaric trailed off.

"What?" Elena asked. She looked at Caroline for an explanation.

"Human blood wasn't cutting it," she explained slowly. "I know it seems weird but he needed blood that held more power. Vampire blood to be exact."

"So that's a vampire," Elena stated, not as a question.

"Well…" Alaric trailed off again. "He will be soon."

"You turned him?" Elena asked in another quiet whisper. She couldn't believe Caroline was actually able to do that.

"He was an ass," Alaric promised. "We saved a girl from him. It probably was for the best. He was going to end up in prison anyway."

On cue the man on the floor sat up, gasping for breath.

**Damon's Point of View**

Damon stood outside, looking at the shack-like house. He used his vampire speed and followed the noises of the road. He finally found what he needed. He looked up at a giant sign that read: Welcome to Mitchellville, Tennessee!

"What the hell is Mitchellville?" Damon muttered. _And why the hell am I here? _

He had officially realized that this was no dream. It was far too real. But if it was no dream, what the hell is this? But the biggest question still remained.

_How the hell do I get home?_

**I am actually really kind of hoping that this story doesn't get taken down. Apparently author's notes for chapters are against the rules? I have of course read all the guidelines, but I am very forgetful. I haven't received any threats from the site or anything, but I read a review on someone else's story saying, ****"****Hello, I must tell you that according to the rules of the page, publishing author's notes as chapters is not allowed and neither it is using real people.******

**Also, please check your grammar.******

**Reported****"  
****  
So other than the "please check your grammar" part, the review had me worried. I'll make sure to watch out in the future, but I really hope this one doesn't get taken down. I just hope a Fanfiction Nazi doesn't see this. Or some troll who is pretty much like, "OH! I CAN REPORT THIS PERSON! YAY! IT'S NOT LIKE I HAVE ANYHTING BETTER TO DO AHAHAHAH!"  
~Fangurl000****  
**


	20. Drainage

**AN: Thanks to Undying Love13 and . for the heads up. Sorry about that. I was super tried when I tried posting and I accidently uploaded the same chapter twice. Hope you two got a chance to read the REAL chapter which I posted right after I saw your guys' reviews. Thanks to Grandma406 for three really great reviews too. I'm really glad you like it so far. And thanks to OceanEye1235 (I just noticed there's no 4 in your name) Don't worry, you'll find out in this chapter! :D Let's just hope he's okay D:**

Alaric's Point of View

Alaric pushed Elena behind him as the man sat up. "Watch out," he whispered to her and she nodded.

"What is this?" The man cried looking at his body. "I feel weird."

"Are you familiar with vampires?" Caroline asked, taking a step toward him.

"Vampires?" The man asked, looking at her like she was crazy. Then he laughed. "You all are complete freaks." Alaric didn't say anything. It was kind of true.

"Too bad you don't believe in them," Caroline said, "Because you're about to become one."

The man just laughed again, keeping his gaze on Caroline. He tried to stand up, but fell again. "What the hell is wrong with me?"

"You have twenty-four hours to drink the blood of a human, or else you die," Alaric said simply, even though it sure as hell wasn't simple.

"I'll call the cops on you," the man warned, making Alaric almost laugh out loud. Did this guy really think _he _was in any position to call the authorities? He was the one who abused his girl friend for who knows how long.

Caroline looked at him in the eyes and Alaric watched as her eyes changed and her fangs appeared making the man back away screaming and yelling.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" he screamed at her. He grabbed a table lamp that was sitting on the small table beside chair, and flung it at Caroline who simply sped out of its way.

The man looked in front of him, blinking looking around the room for Caroline. Little did he know, she was right behind him.

"Surprise," she taunted, kicking him in the back, causing him to land on his stomach.

"Get used to it," Alaric told him. "That's going to be you." Then he stopped. "For a few seconds anyway." He stopped. "We don't want to do it, but we're going to have to kill you."

The man looked up at Alaric. "You're going to kill me?"

"We have to in order to save out friend." Alaric gestured to the couch on the other side of the room.

The man looked back and forth between Alaric and Caroline. "I'm not going to let you kill me."

Alaric laughed. "You're weak. As of right now, you are slowly dying. I would just accept that fact and make this easier for everybody."

He nodded at Caroline who was standing behind him with the same table lamp the man had tried to throw at her. As soon as the man looked up, Caroline dropped the lamp on his head, knocking him out.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Alaric muttered. He walked into the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and headed back into the living room. Standing beside the man, he drew a thin line of blood and put it up to the soon-to-be vampire's mouth.

"He'll turn now?" Alaric heard Elena ask from behind him.

He turned to face her and nodded. "Yeah, and then we're going to have to kill him and get Damon to drink his blood. I'm not sure how it's going to work considering the face he's out cold."

"Is Bonnie coming?" She asked.

"We'll try to talk her into it," Alaric promised. "But there's no guarantee. She wasn't too thrilled about the idea of taking someone's life to save Damon."

"Let me talk to her," Elena suggested. "I'm her best friend and everything she's done so far, she's done for me. If anyone can talk her into coming, it'll be me."

Alaric nodded, dug his phone out of his pocket, and tossed it to Elena who caught it in the air.

"Alright, I'll go make the call," Elena said, heading on upstairs.

Once Elena was upstairs, Caroline looked at Alaric. "We can't stake him. He'll turn to ash and there won't be any blood. We can't decapitate him either."

"I know." Alaric sighed. "We'll use vervain to weaken him and then draw blood from him. I wish there was another way. Even this piece of crap doesn't deserve to die that way."

Caroline didn't answer. Instead she just sat in a chair and stared at the man. Alaric went over and sat beside her, and together, they waited for him to wake up once again.

**Elena's Point of View**

"Elena, are you okay?" Bonnie had picked up just on the second ring and greeted her with a frantic, worried voice.

"I'm fine," Elena lied.

"Are you sure," Bonnie pressed on. "You can talk to me, you know that."

Elena nodded even though Bonnie wouldn't be able to see it. She bit her lip and drew in a deep breath. "It's hard," she admitted to the witch. Stefan has saved me countess times and I'm just sitting here, unable to return the favor."

"He knows you love him, that's the important thing," Bonnie reminded her. "You just have to remember that. I know he does. He knows you are doing everything you can along with everyone else."

Elena smiled. "Thanks, Bonnie."

"No problem. Now tell me what's wrong."

Elena took another deep breath. "There's something wrong with Damon."

"Yeah we established that. He needs vampire blood I told Alaric-"

"We were just wondering if you know where Damon's at right now," Elena said interrupting her friend.

"Isn't he on the couch?" Bonnie asked, sounding genuinely confused.

"Unconsciously," Elena explained. "We need to know if there's a way to pull him back so we can feed him the blood."

Bonnie was silent for a moment before finally saying, "I'm coming over."

**Caroline's Point of View**

Caroline watched as the man woke up, this time more calmly than the last. He slowly opened his eyes and sat up. Instantly, Alaric offered him a glass of blood.

"You want it. Mentally, you may not know it yet, but trust me; your body is dying for it." Alaric handed him the glass and the man stared at it for a while in his hands.

"How do I know you didn't poison it?" He demanded.

"You can't poison a vampire," Alaric reminded him. "There's very little ways a vampire can die and poison is not one of them."

Finally, he took a sip. As soon as the red liquid touched his lips, veins appeared around his eyes, and the glass was drained. "I don't know what the point of offering me a drink was if you're just going to kill me-"the man stopped as he began making choking noises. He grabbed his throat and gasped for air. "What…is… this?" he asked between breaths.

"Vervaine," Alaric explained. "It's not poison it'll just weaken you."

"If you need me weakened, why didn't you just leave me unconscious?" The newly turned vampire asked.

"You weren't officially a vampire until you woke up," he explained.

Caroline sat there watching as Alaric talked to the man. She remembered being in the exact situation….Okay maybe not _exact _but she remembered what it was like after she had been turned: The confusion, the tears, the hunger…the lonely feeling.

_STOP! _Caroline ordered herself._ You can't start feeling sorry for_ _him! It'll just make it a lot harder. _This guy was a horrible man. He had been abusing his girlfriend for who knows how long. He deserved it…right?

Caroline looked away as Alaric began draining the vampire of blood. She tried not to listen to his screams and pleas for reconsideration, but her vampire ears made it extremely hard not to overhear. How long does it take to drain a vampire? Caroline didn't stay in the room long enough to find out.

**Damon's Point of View**

"Alright, this stopped being funny three hours ago," he muttered to no one in particular. He sat on the curb of the road, head in hands and was starting to give up. He had no way of knowing the way back to Mystic Falls and no way of knowing what to do next. He had no choice but to wait to see what happens next.

Before, he had begun to come to the conclusion he had died, but now he wasn't so sure. He didn't feel dead. It seemed weird to think that considering the fact that technically, he was dead. He just didn't feel _dead, _dead.

"Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Damon" he ordered himself. "Just remember that Stefan is going through so much worse. And thinking about that, he had the will power to keep fighting.

**Bonnie's Point of View**

Bonnie knocked on the Boarding House door for the third time. "Alaric, I'm a witch, you know I can come in anyway," she yelled.

He heard footsteps hurrying to the door and then there was Alaric opening it. "Sorry, Bonnie. I had to take care of something."

Bonnie didn't say anything. She knew what it was that he had to take care of.

"Thanks for coming," Alaric said. "I get that you don't want to be here right now, I really do, but I'm just really glad you changed your mind."

"Elena talked me into it," she said simply. "Where's Caroline?"

"She is with Elena I think," Alaric answered, gesturing with his head towards the stairs.

Bonnie nodded. She kept her gaze on Alaric's bloodied hands. "You didn't wash them?" she asked in disbelief.

"You didn't give me time to," he defended himself. "I was going to before you threatened to do something witchy to the door.

"Witchy?" Bonnie raised her eyebrows. "You're starting to pick up Damon's vocabulary. "Speaking of Damon, Elena wanted me to check up on him."

"Uh, yeah," Alaric said shaking his head. He and Bonnie walked towards the couch where Damon was asleep. She looked at him, actually taking in his condition for the first time since this whole thing happened. He wasn't looking too great and for a moment, she felt completely sympathetic for the vampire but she quickly got rid of the thought.

_Just remember how much he has done to hurt you,_ she reminded herself.

"So do you know what's wrong?" Alaric asked jumping her back to reality.

She took a good look at him. "I think I've read about this once with my Grams. His body is here, but his mind is somewhere else."

"Like a dream?" Alaric asked, clearly not getting it.

"No," she said flatly. "Well, sort of. Except everything he sees is actually happening."

Alaric raised his eyebrows at her, waiting for her to continue.

"He's having an out of body experience," she tried to explain.

"And this all means?" Alaric gestured for her to continue explaining.

"This means that once Damon wakes up, we might have a location to where Stefan is."


	21. Dying Again

**AN: Wow! Thank you grandma406! Your reviews have been so sweet! Love the support you've been giving me. I wish I could respond to all of them, but you just left me so many! I hope to see you post some of your work so I can review yours too! Disclaimer: I think I forgot it in my last chapter…and the chapter before that….and probably the one before that too. It's kind of been an on-and-off thing…**

Bonnie's Point of View

Alaric set a large bowl of blood on the coffee table in front of the couch. "So, I just feed it to him?"

Bonnie nodded. "The book says that's all you have to do."

"And you're sure about this?" Alaric double-checked, raising an eyebrow.

Bonnie sighed. "Yes, Alaric!" she said irritably. "Why would I lie about that?"

"Do I even have to answer that?" Alaric asked. "You've tried to kill him before."

"Well-"Bonnie hesitated. That was before I saw how much Elena cares about him." She looked at Alaric who still was staring at her, with a look that said, "_I know that's not the full story, I'm not an idiot. Just tell me the truth."_ Bonnie hesitated again. "And it was before he risked his life, for Caroline."

Alaric smiled. "Don't tell me you're actually starting to like Damon."

"I don't _like _Damon!" She protested. "I just don't despise him anymore." She looked around the room. "So, where's the body then?"

"I staked him. No body, just ashes which I threw in the fire."

Bonnie nodded. "Good." Alaric noticed how she didn't take her eyes off of the unconscious vampire."

Caroline chose that moment to come down stairs. Yelling, "Is it over? Please tell me it's over." She stopped when she saw Bonnie. "What are you doing here?"

"Elena wanted my help," Bonnie explained quickly, looking at her.

"Oh, so you're here only because Elena asked you to be?" Caroline asked, sounding a little annoyed. She crossed her arms and stared at Bonnie.

"No," Bonnie finally admitted. She looked at Damon. "Not for Elena."

**Damon's Point of View**

Damon had officially lost track of how long he had been walking. He didn't know where he was going, and he didn't really care. It's not like he had anywhere specific to go anyway.

_Why this place? _Damon wondered. _Of all places, why did Klaus chose a small town in Tennessee? _ His thoughts were interrupted when a pain seared through his chest. He clutched it, falling to his knees.

_It hurts? How can it hurt? How is that I am capable of feeling such excruciating pain?_

It feels like I'm dying. Am I dying? 

The pain worsened, and Damon felt himself slowly getting dizzy. He closed his eyes, waiting for the feeling to pass. Only, it got worse. He began to feel dizzier and he fell to his knees with a groan. When the feeling became overwhelming_, _he blacked out.

**Alaric's Point of View**

Alaric didn't say anything as the witch admitted something that no one ever knew she'd admit. Instead he changed the subject. "So, do I just feed Damon the blood?" Alaric asked. "How am I supposed to feed him blood when he's unconscious?"

"I read in the book that if you put it in the vampire's mouth, it will wake them up," she explained.

"How does it work?" Alaric asked.

"Well as I explained, right now Damon is consciously somewhere else-like a vision. Once the vampire has the power the blood holds in him, it snaps him out of it." Bonnie gestured to the giant bowl of blood on the table.

Alaric nodded. He went over to the bowl and poured some into a glass so it would be easier to drink. He sat Damon up a little bit, and slowly poured some of the blood into his mouth. He stopped once he saw the vampire's mouth was full and as the scarlet liquid dripped down the corner of his mouth.

He, Bonnie and Caroline waited silently for a few beats.

"Nothing's happening," Caroline said to Bonnie.

Bonnie furrowed her brows and went over to Damon. She knelt beside him and but her hands on the sides of his head. Alaric watched as Bonnie closed her eyes and fell silent.

It must have been ten seconds before Bonnie gasped and her eyes opened. She looked down at Damon worriedly then back up at Alaric. "He's dying," she said softly.

"We established this," Alaric said, but still was worried.

"He's dying where he's at too," she explained. "He just…fell."

Alaric's felt his body go numb. "Well w-what can we do?" he asked the witch. "The blood isn't waking him up."

Bonnie stood up from Damon. "Go get me some candles," she ordered. "There's a spell I can do that will wake him up long enough for the blood to take effect."

Alaric gave a quick nod and left the room. He looked around the large boarding house. Luckily, there were rows of them in the dining area. He grabbed all the ones he saw and headed back into the living room where Bonnie was watching Damon.

"Put them on the table," she ordered pointing to the coffee table. As Alaric did so, he watched as she grabbed Damon's arm and began to mumble the words in a completely different language. She closed her eyes softly and the wicks on the candles lit up with tiny flames. Bonnie continued the spell, not breaking concentration.

The room fell deadly silent and Bonnie's eyes opened. She smiled. "It worked. Quick, feed him the blood now."

Alaric went over to Damon and once again poured the blood into Damon's mouth. Blood still dripped down his jaw, but Alaric wasn't paying too much attention to that. His eyes were on Damon eyes, waiting for them to open. He wasn't disappointed. Damon swallowed the blood and his eyes slowly opened. He looked around the room, trying to focus.

"Ric?" he slurred, looking up at him.

"You need to drink this," Alaric instructed. He put the glass up to Damon's mouth again. He made sure to feed him slowly, since it had been so long since the vampire had eaten anything.

"Ric," Damon whispered softly again. "I-"

"Damon, don't talk," Alaric said, putting the glass back up to his mouth. "You really need to drink this. You almost died, Damon. We almost lost you again."

But Damon pushed the glass away. "Ric, I know where Stefan is."


	22. Catching Up

**AN: YAY! I'm writing another chapter! This one is going to be extra long for theonlyisabla because she has really wanted a longer one. This is for you, theonlyisabla! Hope you like it! And thanks for a great review, too. Also, thanks to lesroisdumonde for a great review. I know, Damon is a really good brother when he wants to be :D Glad you're liking this. To everyone: This is more than likely going to be an action-less chapter. It'll be full of the characters catching up with one another, so expect a lot of friendship moments! :D**

Alaric's Point of View

Alaric slowly lowered the glass of blood as Damon said this. "Yeah," Alaric whispered. "We thought you would."

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked his voice low and hoarse.

"Bonnie came over and told us you were having an out-of-body experience," Alaric explained. "And that you might have seen where Stefan was."

Damon nodded weakly. "They're not even in Mystic Falls anymore," Damon said sounding frustrated. "They're in a small town in Tennessee that I've never even heard of."

Alaric nodded sympathetically. "We found our loop hole around this, we can figure out the rest," he promised Damon. "But please tell me that you won't go after him until you're fully healed. You won't do Stefan much good going out like this."

Damon nodded again. "I won't, Ric," he promised.

"Good, 'cause if you do, I'm killing you myself."

Damon laughed weakly, but his laugh soon turned to a harsh cough. Alaric put the glass of blood back up to his lips, and Damon drank.

"How long was I out?" Damon asked after he had taken a few drinks.

Alaric sighed. "Quite some time," he told him. "We all thought you were dead."

"Yeah so did I," he said. Alaric gave him a confused look, and Damon explained. "When I was with Stefan, Klaus kept…" he paused and took a breath. "He kept forcing blood into him and stabbing him. I tried to stop him but…" He stopped again and Alaric put a comforting hand on Damon's shoulder. Taking another breath, Damon continued. "My hand just went right threw him. Stefan was getting hurt and I just sat there and watched. I tried telling Klaus to stop but neither him nor Stefan could hear me, and it was obvious they couldn't see me. I thought I was a ghost or something."

"How did you find out where you were?" Alaric asked.

"I left the building that Stefan and Klaus were in and kept walking until I found road. I saw a sign and it said Mitchellville, Tennessee."

"Where the hell is Mitchellville?" Alaric asked.

"That's what I was wondering."

"We'll look it up once you're rested," Alaric said.

Damon nodded. "And you said Wicked Witch helped me?"

"I'm right here, Damon," an angry voice called out. He watched as Bonnie came into view. "

"There she is," Damon said. Bonnie rolled her eyes. "Oh don't look so irritated," Damon said. "I didn't ask you to help me."

"No but Elena did," Bonnie stated.

"So you only helped me for Elena," Alaric heard the disbelief in Damon's voice.

"Well…." Bonnie hesitated. "The only reason why you're hurt is because you saved Caroline, which was a nice thing to do."

Damon scoffed. "It was the tension in the moment. I wasn't thinking clearly."

Alaric shook his head and smiled. He was just glad that Damon's personality was still with him. As Bonnie left, he kept feeding Damon until eventually, Damon fell asleep again.

**Bonnie's Point of View**

Bonnie walked into Elena's room with Caroline right behind her. As soon as she knocked on the door, Elena's voice called out. "Alaric, I'm fine! I don't need anything."

Elena, it's me!" Bonnie yelled through the door. "Can me and Caroline come in?"

"Oh, Bonnie!" Bonnie could tell in Elena's voice that her spirits where lifted. "Yeah, come on in! You too, Caroline."

Bonnie opened the door and she and Caroline stepped into Elena's room. Elena was sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at her with sad eyes. "Are you okay, Elena?" Bonnie asked, her voice soft with concern and sympathy.

"Yeah, I'm okay. How's Damon?" She asked.

Bonnie smiled. "He woke up. He's going to be fine. Alaric has been feeding him the vampire blood, and he's resting now."

Elena breathed a sigh of relief. "Thanks so much, Bonnie. Damon would be dead right now if it weren't for you."

"Caroline and Alaric were the ones that got the vampire," Bonnie pointed out.

"But we wouldn't have known to if you hadn't told us," Caroline reminded her. Bonnie didn't know why, but she was beginning to feel embarrassed. She didn't everyone to know that she didn't hate Damon anymore. She didn't absolutely love the guy either. She just…understood him more and maybe _liked _him a little. She pushed away the thoughts.

Elena sighed. "Did Alaric talk to you guys about you two getting Stefan?"

Bonnie shared a look with Caroline before turning to Elena. "What?"

Elena bit her lip. "Look, don't feel pressured into doing this, it's completely up to you, but we need someone to go with Damon to find Stefan once he's better and stronger."

"What about you and Alaric?" Caroline asked. "I mean I can't picture anyone _but _Alaric going."

"Ric and I made a deal with Katherine," Elena explained. "If Alaric and I go, both Damon and Stefan will be killed."

Bonnie shared another look with Caroline. "Of course I'll help Damon," Caroline spoke up. "He saved my life. I'll help him save Stefan's."

"Thanks Caroline," Elena said, relieved. Both she and Caroline starred at Bonnie. "Remember, Bonnie this is up to you," Elena reminded her. "Don't feel pressured into doing this."

Bonnie nodded. "I'll do it."

Elena smiled and hugged her best friend. "Thanks, Bonnie."

"Of course," she said, hugging her friend back. "After all, Damon's not a _bad _guy, and Stefan most certainly isn't. But don't tell anyone I said that."

"I won't," Elena promised.

"I will," Caroline said jokingly, and she joined her friends in a group hug.

**Alaric's Point of View**

Alaric watched as Damon slept, making sure he was okay. About an hour ago, Damon told him he started feeling a bit sick and Alaric had told him to rest to see if he would feel better after some sleep. He really didn't want Damon to get sick and lose more blood. He was relieved when Damon finally stirred. "Thank God," he whispered. "I was starting to get worried that you were dying again."

"How long was I asleep?" Damon slurred, sounding exhausted.

"Only about an hour," Alaric answered. "But you weren't moving at all."

Damon shrugged. "Guess I was more tired than I thought."

"Are you feeling better?" Alaric asked quickly.

"A little," Damon told him, stretching out on the couch.

Alaric nodded. "It seems like you've started to take the habit of scaring the crap out of me."

Damon smiled. "It's a fun habit to have."

Alaric laughed. "I swear one of these days I'm going to get myself severely hurt just so you we can swap places. And then when I'm awake I'll be laughing at you."

Damon laughed. "Good luck with that, Ric," he said closing his eyes tiredly.

Alaric went over and knelt beside the couch.

"What are you doing?" Damon asked him with his eyes still closed.

Alaric put his hand on the vampire's forehead. "I need to check on your fever. It's still pretty high; I need to bring it down. Go ahead and rest, you still look tired. I'll just try to cool you down in the meantime.

Alaric went into the kitchen and wet down a cloth in ice cold water. He hunched over the counter his hands on either side of the counter. He looked back and thought about how many times he has done this in just the past week as he watched the water run. He thought about his friendship with Damon in general.

When he first saw Damon at the Grille he stared at him, knowing he had seen the man before. When Damon glanced at him, he dipped his head in an acknowledgement, clearly not knowing who Alaric was. Alaric of course pieced it together; finding out this was the man who had killed his wife, Isabelle.

Then there was the Bachelor's Raffle where Damon taunted Alaric indicating that his wife was "delicious" and clearly showed no remorse.

Their first actual mission together was when they went to save Stefan from Anna and Pearl. Afterwards, Alaric and Damon both ended up at the bar and Damon tried making nice with him by talking about how much everyone hated him and by talking about how bad-ass they were together. Alaric just got up and left but not before punching him in the face.

But all of their bad times together seemed to vanish when Alaric found out Damon was dying. The moment Alaric grabbed Damon's arm, and the hiss of pain Damon let out.

_It is your arm," Alaric said. He quickly pulled up Damon's sleeve and nearly fell to the ground at what he saw. Damon's arm was covered in a purple-green mark that almost resembled a bruise but was too infected looking. It looked like poison was spreading through his veins. "Damon…"_

Damon jerked his arm away and quickly rolled down his sleeve. "I know, Ric. I just didn't want to have to deal with this right now."

"Damon, what is it?" Alaric asked.

Damon looked at the ground, avoiding Alaric's gaze. "It's a werewolf bite," he said after several seconds.

Alaric shook his head. "No. So that means-"

"It means I'm going to die," Damon finished.  
  
Alaric smiled at the fact he had proved Damon wrong, and finally cured him. He just wished the problems with Damon's health ended there. Of course, Klaus had to kidnap him. Of course he had to go through those long hours of torture. Of course it had to have been Stefan to do it.

Alaric snapped back to reality, ending the flashbacks. He turned off the water and wringed out the rag. When he entered the living room, he wasn't surprised to see Damon already asleep. Doing as he has done several times in the past few days, he ran the cold cloth down Damon's forehead and cheeks.

"Alaric?"

Alaric looked up and saw Elena coming down the stairs. "Elena," he said, standing up from where he was kneeling. "How are you?"

Elena smiled. "Caroline and Bonnie managed to lift me up a little bit."

Alaric nodded. "That's good." He looked back at Damon.

"How is he?" Elena asked hesitantly, coming down the stairs all the way. "He really isn't looking too good."

"I think he's still a little sick," Alaric admitted, sounding worried to even his own ears.

"Do you know how to make him better?" Elena asked, now standing next to Alaric beside the couch.

"I'm working on it," he told her. "But he can't drink until his stomach is up for it. But for now, I'm bringing his fever down, it is way too high."

Elena looked at Alaric. "And how about you?"

"And how about me, what?" he asked her.

"How are you?" Alaric gave her a confused look, and she continued. "I've lost track how many days you've been staying awake with him. You were by his side every second, and the moments you weren't, you were getting him blood, a cloth to bring down his fever, or even killing someone for him. You must be absolutely exhausted. Get some rest, Ric. I'll keep an eye on him, I promise."

Alaric smiled. "Thanks." He began to get up to head out of the room, but Elena stopped him. He waited to see what she wanted to say, but instead of talking, she put her arms around him. He wasn't surprised by this gesture and put his arms around her.

"No, Alaric," she whispered in his ear. "Thank you." The two broke apart and Alaric headed on upstairs. He went into the room that was across Damon's and thought about the night where Damon was really ill and kept getting sick and Alaric would get out of bed every two hours to help him. He finally gave up, and slept in a chair beside Damon's bed.

Sighing, Alaric plopped down on the bed, and was asleep instantly.

**Elena's Point of View**

After Alaric headed upstairs Elena did just as she had promised Alaric. She walked over to the couch and knelt beside it. Watching Damon reminded her of when they first met. She knocked on the Salvatore boarding house, excepting Stefan to be the one to answer it, but when Damon did, she remembered how confused she was, and especially after learning that he was Stefan's brother. She laughed at the cocky voice, "Stefan's not one to brag." She missed hearing the strength and sarcasm in Damon's voice. She just hoped it would return soon.

Elena looked back and remembered how much she despised Damon when they first met. He was rude, arrogant, and very dangerous. Slowly, her heart went out to him though. All along, he was looking for his long-lost love Katherine. She remembered trying to comfort him when she wasn't in the tomb.

She knew Damon was in love with her. There just wasn't anything she could do about it. She had met and fell in love with Stefan first. She hated hurting him, she really did.

And then Damon got bitten.  
_  
"I wanted to tell you earlier. It's just, you had so much on your mind…" his voice trailed off. Clearing his throat, he continued. "I'm dying, Elena."_

Elena uncrossed her arms and widened her eyes. "What? How? When are you gonna…"

"Tyler Lockwood bit me," Damon explained. "As for the 'when' it's impossible to say. Except I know it's not going to be longer than two days."

Elena tried to escape from the horrible memory. Seeing Damon locked up in a cell so he wouldn't hurt anyone. Then when he was finally getting better, Klaus came and kidnapped him. To top it all off, he was tortured by Stefan-his brother. Elena remembered being so mad at Stefan, but now…he's gone.

She shook the thoughts away. Damon needed her by his side, he needed someone to take care of him while Alaric got his very needed rest.

She grabbed the cloth off the table and began to cool off Damon. Alaric was right, his fever was high. She continued to wipe his face down when Damon stirred. She stopped and waited for a second.

"Ric?" Damon asked, his eyes still closed.

"It's me," she spoke softly.

Damon's eyes opened, and he stared at Elena in surprise. "Lena, what are you doing here?" his voice was so hoarse and weak; Elena had to strain to hear him.

"Alaric's getting some sleep," she explained. "I promised him I would watch you until he woke up."

"'Bout time," Damon whispered. "I thought he was going to pass out onto the floor and I wouldn't have had the strength to pull him back up."

Elena laughed. Under the circumstances, Damon was still worried about Alaric's well-being. "Yeah, I could tell he was absolutely exhausted."

**Bonnie's Point of View**

Bonnie came downstairs and saw Elena with Damon. She thought about leaving, and giving them privacy, but she needed to talk to Damon while he was awake.

Elena looked up at her. "Bonnie?" she asked, her voice sounding curious.

"Hey, Elena," she said. She beckoned her with a wave of her hand, and Elena came over to her.

"What?" Elena whispered.

"I need to talk to Damon while he's awake," she told her. "Is that okay?"

Elena nodded. "Yeah, that's fine. I'll be up with Caroline, okay?"

Bonnie nodded and headed over to Damon. When she stood in front of him, he looked up at her with confused and tired eyes. "Hey, Witchy-Witch."

Bonnie couldn't hold herself back from rolling her eyes. "I'm pretty sure that was meant to sound a lot more sarcastic and rude."

"You know me all too well," he whispered. "So why did you need to talk to me? I'm pretty sure you're not here just to check up on me."

Bonnie sighed. "I just thought I should let you know that Caroline and I decided to help you with Stefan," she explained.

"Are you sure you're willing to go on a long road trip with me?" he asked her.

"You're not the….most awful person in the world."

Damon gave her a weak smile. "Keep telling yourself that.

As Bonnie shared his smile, she felt relieved. He was going to be okay. They'd rescue Stefan, and Stefan would be okay. They all….were going to be just fine.

"Well, I should probably head upstairs," she said standing up; feeling almost embarrassed knowing that Damon knew she didn't hate him. Thanks for talking with me. I know you're probably really tired right now."

Damon shrugged. "I pretty sure I should be the one thanking _you _for talking with _me." _

Bonnie began to head out of the room. "Oh, and Caroline is probably going to come down and see you, so enjoy the peace and quiet while you can."

**Caroline's Point of View**

Caroline headed down the stairs to where Damon was laying on the couch. "Hey," she said.

He looked up at her. "Blondie," he greeted, and she winced at the weakness in his voice.

"Your voice is certainly missing some of its sarcasm," she observed.

"Everyone seems to have noticed that," he mumbled.

"Maybe you could try drinking some blood," she suggested.

"Alaric and I thought it would be best if I waited until I don't feel like I'll throw up," he muttered.

"Gross," she said wrinkling her nose. "Yeah, that's probably for the best," she agreed. "So, do you know why you're still feeling sick?"

"Because I was bitten by a werewolf, kidnapped, got sick from all that, threw up a lot of blood, went into a coma."

"I thought vampires healed really fast," she said.

"Well I haven't exactly been eating," he pointed out.

Caroline smiled. "I really want you to know how much I appreciate what you did and even more now that you are so sick."

"What are you talking 'bout, Barbie?" he asked, his voice growing more and more quiet from exhaustion.

"You stepping in front of Tyler for me and Matt," she reminded him quietly. "He was coming right at me but you got in the way."

Damon shrugged. "It really doesn't need to be made into a big deal, Caroline."

"Yes it does!" she argued. She stood up from where she was kneeling. "I've never done anything for you, and now you're all sick and weak and-"

"Caroline," he said softly. Caroline felt a weak hand on her arm. "You should really calm down. Freaking out won't do you much good. Besides, you're giving me a headache."

"Sorry," she apologized, kneeling back down.

"Besides, Caroline, this can be payback for all the crappy things I've done to Bonnie, Stefan, Ric, Elena…you. I thought I deserved to die, but maybe this is an even better punishment. I have to feel weak and vulnerable just like I have made you all feel and many, many humans feel."

"Damon-" Caroline began, but didn't know how to finish, so she just stayed quiet.

"You should get some rest too, Blondie, I'll be fine," he told her. Caroline nodded and headed upstairs.

"Goodnight, Damon," she called over her shoulder.

**AN: There were a lot of As I Lay Dying With a Friend (my other fic) references in this. If you haven't read that, and you like this, you should check it out. :) Thanks for reading, and I hope that extra long chapter wasn't too boring. I just thought they all needed to enjoy each other's company and appreciate the fact that Damon is alive and-….well not healthy but you get the point. :D  
**


	23. Watching Out For Alaric Now

AN: So sorry guys! Super stressed right now. I've only posted once this whole month! Yikes! I won't stop writing this chapter until it's done, I promise. Really sorry about that.

Stefan's Point of View

"I'm not going to help you with your stupid hybrids!" Stefan yelled at Klaus for the third time.

Klaus grabbed Stefan's throat. "You will because you cannot go back on your word." He tossed Stefan to the ground and Stefan felt his back connect with the concrete floor. "You know I can kill all those you love in a split second."

"Can you?"

"You're not going to risk it."

Stefan didn't say anything. Klaus was right. There was no way in hell he would let Klaus anywhere near his friends or family. No one had any idea how to actually kill an original vampire. He got up off the floor and looked at Klaus in the eyes.

"So what do you say?" Klaus smirked. "Want to help me find a pack of werewolves?"

"You want me to help you create hybrids out of an entire pack?" Stefan clarified. Klaus nodded. "Are you crazy?"

"I'm a hybrid. It's not like a bite will kill me. And no need to worry about yourself, Mate. I'll just feed you my blood if I absolutely have to."

Stefan shook his head in disgust. "You are out of your mind."

"We're stronger than werewolves, Stefan."

"It's a full moon in three days," Stefan pointed out. "They're stronger now."

Klaus smiled. "Have a little faith in yourself. I don't need you to start having self-confident issues with yourself."

Stefan scoffed irritated. "You've got twelve years to change me."

"Right I do," Klaus smiled. "I just hope it's not all going to be for nothing. I heard Damon wasn't doing so well. You must have done quite a number on him, Mate."

Stefan lost it. Not thinking about the consequences, he grabbed Klaus and pushed him into a wall. "Don't say that. This is your entire fault. You're the one who fed me the human blood in the first place."

Klaus glared at him and punched Stefan in the face hard. "I would watch your tongue if I were you. I think you forget who you're talking to. Must I have to remind you?"

Stefan wiped the blood that was now flowing from his nose. "You don't talk about Damon at all in front of me."

"Just speaking the truth," Klaus said. "And I do believe I'm the only reason why Damon's even alive in the first place, and I'm not talking about curing him from the bite. You do know what I am referring to, don't you?"

He did. While Stefan was on the human blood, he had been so angry at Damon. Without his humanity, there was nothing stopping his hatred toward his brother over Elena. The only reason Damon was alive after Stefan had tortured him, is because Klaus had ordered Stefan not to kill him.

_I'll get you out of this, Damon. _Stefan sent the silent words to his brother. But at this point, he didn't know who would be saving whom.

Alaric's Point of View

Alaric headed downstairs early in the morning feel a lot more alive. For the first time in days, he had actually slept an entire night. He was headed into the kitchen to make coffee, but not before checking up on Damon of course. He was not at all surprised to see the vampire completely asleep.

Alaric looked at Damon carefully. He was still abnormally pale (even for a vampire) and still looked exhausted even while sleeping, but there was something about looking at him, that informed Alaric that the worst was over and that his friend should make a full recovery.

Making sure to be quiet, Alaric headed into the kitchen to make the coffee. He also made sure to make enough for the coffee loving Elena.

As the coffee was being made, Alaric headed back into the living room and sat in the chair across the couch just as he had done countless times recently. He found comfort in watching Damon rest peacefully and knowing that he wasn't in a coma like he had been a few times in the past week. He saw that there was still a lot of blood Damon needed to drink in the bowl on the table but he didn't think it was urgent enough to need to wake him.

He heard someone come downstairs and looked up to see Caroline, Bonnie and Elena heading down.

"Hey," Elena whispered. She motioned with her head for him to follow them into the kitchen. He obeyed.

"How is he?" Elena asked, once they were out of ear shot.

"Better," Alaric answered. "But he has a long road of recovery ahead."

Elena nodded. "We were going to head to the store," she said. "Stefan and Damon don't have anything here besides blood and scotch."

Alaric nodded. "Alright, drive careful."

Elena smiled. "Do you want me to pick you up anything?" she offered.

Alaric shook his head. "I'm fine."

Elena frowned. "Ric, you haven't been eating anything lately. With Jenna dying and Damon almost dying, you haven't been taking care of yourself. I'll pick you up something to eat and you're going to eat it."

Alaric laughed softly. "Fine, alright. I don't really care what it is."

Elena smiled and hugged him. "Just remember that you're important too, Alaric. We need you around," she whispered in his ear.

Alaric hugged her back. "I know, Elena. I promise I'll take better care of myself then."

Elena pulled away and kissed him on the cheek. "Is there anything else you need?"

"Yeah, can you stop by the drug store and pick up a thermometer? I don't think two vampires would have one laying around their house and I think it would be a good idea to keep track of Damon's temperature while he's recovering."

"Of course," she said. She, Caroline and Bonnie left, leaving Alaric alone with a sleeping Damon.

Alaric once again sat across from Damon when he began to stir. "Hey," Alaric said gently.

Damon opened his eyes and looked up at Alaric. "You look refreshed," he said hoarsely.

Alaric smiled. "I finally was able to sleep knowing that you would wake up in the morning."

Damon didn't smile back, instead he just looked away.

"What's wrong?" Alaric asked him seriously. He went over and kneeled beside the couch.

"Ric, I've been worried about you a lot lately," Damon admitted. "You look dead."

"Coming from a member of the undead," Ric shot back jokingly, but once again Damon didn't smile. He gave him a look that said, _Alaric, I'm serious. _

"I'm fine," Alaric promised Damon. "I don't know why people are worried about me when you're-"

"Don't bring me into this Alaric," Damon interrupted impatiently. "You need to take care of yourself. Promise me you will."

"Elena already made me do this," Alaric told him, rolling his eyes and getting up.

"Fine, but you have to promise me."

Alaric looked over at Damon and sighed. "Damon, I promise."


	24. Tears and aKISS?

**AN: I told you would post more often now. Sorry the last chapter was really short, so this one will be longer to make up for that. Just be thankful I'm on Facebook so often now so I'm a fast typer. Thanks to Vivreaencrever for a review. And yes, I agree. Alaric kind of does need to get a hold of himself. Thanks to Sparx, glad you're liking it. And thanks to guest. I'm glad the chapter was enjoyable for you. Disclaimer: Crap, had I even put one in the last one? I have no idea, I hope I don't get sued…that doesn't really sound like a whole lot of fun.**

Alaric's Point of View

"Are you up for feeding?" Alaric asked Damon. "You still have a lot of blood you need to drink."

Damon nodded and Alaric poured some of the blood into a cup once again. He knelt beside the couch and helped Damon sit up a little as Damon drank.

"Alaric?" Elena called out, stepping into the living room. She, Caroline and Bonnie had bags in their hands. She smiled when she saw Damon awake and drinking.

"Hey," Alaric greeted, setting the glass on the table. He went over and helped the girls with their bags and together, the three of them went into the kitchen.

"How is he?" Elena asked, setting the bags on the counter.

"He's starting to look a lot better. I think in a few days he'll be back to normal."

Elena breathed a sigh of relief. "Good." She turned around and dug into some bags. She pulled out a Styrofoam box. "Burger," she said simply. "And you are going to sit here and eat it." She turned to Caroline and Bonnie. "Make sure he doesn't get up until it's gone." The two girls nodded, and Elena left.

"I see who has the authority in your house," Bonnie muttered. Alaric ignored her and took a bite of his burger realizing just then how hungry he was. He continued to eat.

**Elena's Point of View**

Elena walked into the living room to check up on Damon. She was glad to see him awake and alert.

"It's just me," she reassured him.

"Can never be too sure," he mumbled. There was just a brief pause when he spoke up again. "Thanks by the way."

She turned her head curiously. "For what?"

He looked over to the kitchen. "Making sure he takes care of himself."

Elena smiled. "It's no problem; I was starting to get worried about him myself."

Damon smiled and then before she knew it, Elena was leaning in and kissing him. His lips were soft and weak but she didn't mind…she didn't-

Elena pulled back from the kiss with a gasp. "No," she whispered. "Damon!"

"_You _kissed _me_,"he reminded her defensively.

"But you let me!" she cried. She stepped back and shook her head. "Stefan is out there, I can't be sitting here kissing you that's just not…right." She pressed her lips together, trying not to cry. How could she do that? Stefan was out there and she was kissing his brother! She felt ashamed as a tear trailed down her cheek and Damon gave her a sympathetic look.

"Elena-"he began but she stopped him.

"No," she breathed out. "Please, just leave me alone." She turned around and sprinted up the stairs, not daring to look back.

**Damon's Point of View**

Damon watched Elena sympathetically as she ran up the stairs crying. He wished he could take all her pain away. He wished Stefan were here so things could go back to normal. He wished Stefan had never made that stupid deal with Klaus. Why didn't Stefan just face reality and let him die? What did he honestly have to live for? Stefan had everything. Friends who cared about him, a girlfriend who loved him and relied on him. All Damon had was a group of friends who were only friends with him because Stefan or Elena was. Except maybe Alaric. And as for Stefan, Damon knew half the time Stefan couldn't stand him. They had literally tried to kill each other on several occasions, so why did he risk his life for his?

_"We'll find something…a cure." _The desperation in Stefan's voice when Damon told him he had been bitten was unbearable.

_"There's no cure Stefan." _The crushed look on his brother's face when Damon told him to just face reality.

_"We kept Elena human when there was no way." _Damon had looked away in irritation and sadness, not wanting to hear Stefan talk about getting a cure that didn't exist. _"Hey," _Stefan got Damon's attention and Damon looked into his younger brother's determined eyes as he said, _"I will do this." _

Well….Stefan did it. And now he was paying for it.

_You should've just let me die, brother," _Damon thought for the millionth time since this whole thing happened. _It would have been better for everyone if you had._

All except Alaric. His only true friend.

**Alaric's Point of View**

Alaric got up from the table when Caroline stopped him.

"Hey, wait, wait!" She said, pushing him back down. "Did you finish eating."

"I am a grown man who is in fact your history teacher," he reminded her. She gave him a look and he sighed in exasperation. "Yes."

"Then you are excused from the dinner table," Caroline said smiling which made him a little freaked out. He grabbed his garbage and dumped it into the trash and headed into the living room where he expected Elena to be, but in surprise, didn't see her.

Alaric was about to ask Damon where she was when he saw how deep in thought Damon looked. Then, Alaric saw something that shocked him to no end.

For the first time since he's met Damon, he saw a small tear roll down the vampire's cheek.

**AN: Sorry this chapter is shorter than most of them. I actually didn't make it to 1000 words! *GASP* But I HAD to end it here. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I'm getting better at it, right? As always, thanks for reading. Love you all! I predict there will only be a few more chapters. Seven at the most? Okay, that's not a few, but bare with me, guys!**


	25. Guilty Kiss

**AN: Thanks again to Vivreaencrever for another review! I'm really glad you're sticking with me. :D And know, it was a mean move on Elena's part. And go Dalaric friendship! Disclaimer: Please don't sue me for this story. The Vampire Diaries isn't mine, I'm just an overly obsessive fan girl. (Hence my pen name)**

Alaric's Point of View

Alaric wanted to know what was bad enough to actually make the vampire cry, but also knew that he should respect Damon's privacy. Then again, maybe he was lonely? No. Damon wouldn't want Alaric to know he had seen the macho vampire cry. But after debating with himself, sadly, Alaric's curiosity had gotten the best of him as he found himself heading toward Damon.

"Damon?" Alaric greeted gently, trying not to break his thoughts too suddenly.

Damon sat up for the first time in days and Alaric glanced at surprise in his strength. That was one good thing happening, but Alaric still wanted to know what was troubling his friend.

Damon glanced up in surprise at Alaric's greeting and turned away quickly. "What do you want, Ric?" He was obviously trying to hide the fact he was crying, but Alaric didn't need to see the tear to know. He could hear it in the vampire's strained, soft voice.

"Are you alright?" Alaric asked worriedly moving toward him.

"What are you talking about?" Damon asked, but Alaric saw right through it.

"What's wrong?" He gave Damon a serious look that told him to stop lying.

"I'm fine," Damon lied, but his voice was tight and he answered much to quickly for it to be true.

"You don't have to hide your feelings from me," Alaric reminded him. "I'm your friend. Aren't friends supposed to cry on each other's shoulders and comfort the one who is hurting?"

"I'm pretty sure you're thinking of the chicks," Damon scoffed.

"Seriously, you can talk to me."

Damon looked away. "Elena kissed me."

Alaric blinked in surprise. "What?"

Damon looked at Alaric. "Elena kissed me," he explained again.

Alaric shook his head. "That doesn't make sense, why would Elena kiss _you_?Damon raised his eyebrows and Alaric added, "not that you're not amazing or anything, but seriously, why did Elena kiss you?"

Damon shook his head and shrugged. "I don't know."

Alaric hesitated before asking him, "is that why you were crying?"

Damon looked at Alaric in the eyes. "No." Alaric was surprised at the fact that Damon was no longer denying crying.

"Then why-" but Alaric didn't finish before Damon stepped in.

"I guess after living for 170 years, a guy tends to get a little depressed and….lonely." Damon grimaced at the last word.

Alaric wasn't really sure what to say. He didn't even know if there was anything you could say at a moment like this. A few lame, gay sounding lines came to mind but Alaric knew how much Damon hated chick flick moments and Alaric himself wasn't too fond of them either so he kept them to himself.

Instead Alaric found himself sitting down next to Damon the couch. "Yeah, I get what you mean," he muttered. "Besides the whole, "living for 170 years" part.

**TVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDT VDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTVDTV DTVDTVDTVD**

Damon was getting better as the day went by, and Alaric found himself not checking on him for physical distress, but emotional. By the end of the day, Damon had finished the blood and was sleeping. By the day after tomorrow, he would be completely recovered, and he, Bonnie and Caroline would set off on their mission to get Stefan, and find away to stop Klaus…or at least put him on hold for a while.

Alaric was about to head to bed himself when he was stopped on the stairs by Elena.

"Is he sleeping?" she asked and Alaric nodded. She quickly made her way downstairs and a few seconds later she came back with her cell phone.

"I need to call Jeremy," she explained after Alaric gave her a weird look. "To check up on him."

"That's not what the look was for," Alaric said.

Elena sighed. "Okay, I'm avoiding Damon," she admitted. "Happy?"

"Wow, really had to drag that out of you," Alaric muttered sarcastically.

"It's just-"

"You and Damon kissed."

Elena opened her mouth to say something when she stopped. She gave Alaric a puzzled look. "How-"

"Damon told me," Alaric explained. He made sure to leave out the part where Damon was actually crying. If anyone ever heard that, Alaric would probably end up being dinner.

Elena gave an angry, frustrated sigh. "Ugh! So now he's telling people? What is he bragging about it?"

Alaric furrowed his brows. "Actually, he was pretty upset about it."

"Well he should be."

Alaric shook his head. "I heard you're the one who kissed him."

Elena rolled her eyes. "So he's spreading that, too? Great. Well he shouldn't have kissed me back. He let me kiss him."

"It's hardly fair to blame this on him, Elena and you know it."

Elena hesitated. "I know," she whispered softly. "I'm just really upset about it, and I don't want to believe that it was my fault. I can't think of that right now. What if Klaus hurts Stefan…what if the last thing I did while Stefan was gone, was kiss his own brother?"

Alaric put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "Elena, he's going to be fine," he reminded her for the umpteenth time. "Damon's getting better and soon he'll be able to go off and find him. This will be over and all of this will be behind us."

"I just don't know if I'll ever be able to talk to Damon again," she said. "It'll always be weird around us." She turned and began to head up the stairs when Alaric stopped her.

"He cried," he blurted before he could stop himself. Elena turned stopped but didn't turn around. "He said he just feels alone, but I think it's the kiss that really made him think about it."

Elena finally turned around and faced Alaric. "Damon…cried?"

"I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it."

Elena pressed her lips together, and ran back upstairs.

**The action will begin in just two chapters. So please, hold on!******


	26. Up And At 'Em

**AN: Thanks again to Vivreaencrever for reviewing once again! I know, Ric is really nice to Damon. I love their friendships too. And thanks to Undying Love13 for reviewing once again. Yeah, Elena's being kind of mean. Go check out Undying Love13's profile. She writes a lot of great Vampire Diaries stories. I'm actually hooked on one that she really needs to continue. *HINT HINT* XD Disclaimer: I don't own TVD. All rights belong to CW…and I guess L.J. Smith since she's the whole reason the t.v. show exists in the first place, but I actually have yet to read the books.**

Alaric's Point of View

By morning when Alaric came downstairs, Damon was already awake and sitting up. Alaric hurried over to his friend. "How are you feeling?" he asked quickly.

"I'm fine," Damon promised, waving Alaric away but Alaric didn't move.

"We need to see how strong you are," Alaric told him. "You look a lot stronger."

"I feel stronger," Damon said.

"Maybe you'll be on your feet soon. Can you walk?"

Damon shrugged. "I haven't really tried yet."

"Let's try," Alaric said, bracing himself to catch Damon in case he fell.

Using the arm of the couch for support, Damon slowly began to stand up. His knees gave out and Alaric caught him. "You alright?" he checked.

Damon nodded. Alaric slowly released his grasp on Damon's arms, and soon enough, Damon was standing. "Do you want to try to walk?" Alaric asked, and Damon nodded.

Using whatever was near him for support; Damon slowly made his way across the room. Occasionally, he would stumble and Alaric would rush to his side and help him, but still, it was definitely progress.

They made their way to the kitchen, and Damon sat down at the table, looking exhausted.

"I'll get you some human blood," Alaric said. "And afterwards, by tomorrow morning you'll be back to yourself."

Alaric headed down to the basement and grabbed some blood bags. He then hurried back into the kitchen where Damon was laying his head down on his hands which were resting on the table.

"Here," Alaric said, sliding the bag toward Damon. Damon took it, tore it open and began to drink. Alaric watched as his eyes went black and veins appeared and his fangs extended. It was a sight that used to give him nightmares, but now he was used to it.

After Damon was done, Alaric noticed how much healthier Damon looked. He slid another one over to Damon and he drank again. This went on for a few more minutes, when finally Damon said that it was enough.

"You're not feeling sick are you?" Alaric asked in a panic.

Damon shook his head. "I'm fine, Ric."

"You look a lot healthier," Alaric observed. "How do you feel?"

"I don't even think I remember the feeling of being completely strong," Damon muttered and Alaric let out a slight chuckle. "But I think it felt like this."

Alaric nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. "I guess I was right. You should be able to go off tomorrow morning."

"I'll let Caroline and Bonnie know. Are they still here?" Damon stood up, this time he seemed to do it without any trouble.

"Yeah, they're in the room Elena's staying in." As soon as Alaric said this, Damon stopped. Alaric remembered things between him and Elena weren't exactly well right now. She once again had kissed him, and felt super bad about it and then blamed it on Damon, who felt super bad about it. Yesterday, she even managed to make him cry though Alaric still didn't know if that was the whole reason or if there was something more to it. He didn't really need to push Damon farther into detail, though.

"Great," Damon muttered, sitting down again.

"So what's the plan?" Alaric asked sarcastically? "Avoid Elena for the rest of your life? That's a great idea. I'm sure that would work out just great."

"Better than anything I've got."

Alaric sighed. "Damon this isn't something you can just avoid."

Damon shrugged. "I can sure as hell try."

"You know that's not true."

Damon stood up again. "Fine, I'll go talk to Bonnie and Caroline." Alaric raised his eyebrows and Damon let out an exasperated groan. "And Elena."

**Damon's Point of View**

Damon headed up the stairs to the room Elena was sleeping in. He stopped at the door and hesitated, going over scenarios in his head of what to say, and the result to them.

_Elena, I'm sorry you kissed me. _Damon could hear the sarcastic tone of his own voice inside his head and decided maybe that wouldn't be the best thing to say.

_What did you want me to do, Elena? Slap you? _He knew saying that would probably get _him _slapped so he decided against that idea, too.

_Whatever, I'll just wing it, _he decided. He couldn't stand just standing there outside the door like an idiot all day.

He knocked on the door and waited.

"I'm not apologizing to Damon, Alaric," Elena's voice greeted him through the door. Of course she must think he's Alaric, she didn't even know he was on his feet.

Maybe that was a good thing. Elena more than likely wouldn't answer the door anyway if she knew it was him. So instead he just knocked on the door again, hoping Elena would give in to Alaric. She did.

Damon heard footsteps crossing the wooden floors of the room and the lock clicking. She seriously locked the door?

"Alaric look-" Elena froze when she saw that it wasn't in fact Alaric who was at the door. "Damon?" she hissed. She tried to close the door, but Damon had kept his foot in the way, knowing that it would happen.

"What do you want?" Anger was in her voice but there was also a hint of something else…sadness? Damon's heart went out to the lonely, desperate teenage girl who was just missing her boyfriend.

"Elena, we really need to talk," he said as gently as he could. He peered inside the room and looked at Caroline and Bonnie. "I need to talk to you two later also, so don't go anywhere." His attention turned back to Elena. "Can we please find somewhere to talk?"

Elena sighed. "Damon, I think it's best if I was just given some time."

Damon nodded. He was going to say something when out of the blue; he began to feel really tired. Alaric had said he would be on his feet by tomorrow morning, but it wasn't tomorrow yet. Maybe he was taking things a little too quick.

"It's just-" Elena stopped as Damon began to rub his eyes tiredly. "Are you okay?" she asked worriedly, as if she had never been mad at him.

"Just tired," he reassured her.

"Well maybe you should sit down." As soon as Elena said this she looked at Damon in horror. "Oh my god, you're walking!"

Damon opened his mouth to say something but Elena grabbed him by his arm and pulled him into the room. She pulled up a chair, and pushed him down into it.

"Sit," she ordered, leaving no room in her tone for arguing. But Damon was too tired to disagree anyway.

"Do you need me to get Alaric?" she asked worriedly. By now Caroline and Bonnie were also looking a little worried.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Caroline asked Elena, completely ignoring Damon.

"Maybe you should get Alaric," Elena said.

"No," Damon stepped in, finally getting the chance to talk. "I'm fine. My room is just across the hall. I'm just a little tired."

Elena nodded and stepped back. "You're sure you're okay?" she clarified. Damon nodded. Then he set his attention on Bonnie and Caroline.

"You two get some rest too," he told them. "We leave tomorrow."

"And you'll be strong enough?" Bonnie asked.

"I'm strong now, just tired." He stood up and he noticed how Elena tensed up once he did. He rolled his eyes. "I'm fine, Elena."

"Just checking," she mumbled. He stopped for a moment and thought about her. All it took was him being slightly tired and she was at his side in an instant despite what was going on between them. It was the same when she found out he was bitten by a vampire. Sure she slapped Alaric for it, but she forgave Damon instantly about almost turning her into a vampire. Almost ruining her life!

Damon nodded in acknowledgment to what she said, and left the room without looking back, not wanting to know what her facial expression was.

He headed into his room which luckily was just a few doors down, across from the room Alaric was staying in. He closed his door, kicked off his shoes, and plopped down on his bed, falling asleep right away.

**Thanks for reading. We're getting almost near the end. :O**


End file.
